Antonio and the Fabulous Genie of the Lamp
by Last Asylum
Summary: AU Antonio is a daydreaming street rat. Lovino is a perpetually annoyed prince. Throw in a pasta-loving Sultan, a bushy-browed Vizier, and a genie that refuses to stay fully clothed, and you've got the most nonsensical adventure Agrabah has ever seen.
1. Arabian Nights

_Hi there, and welcome to my first attempt at a Hetalia story! In fact, this is my first venture back into the world of fanfiction since I was like, twelve. Haven't written for in years, and I'm curious to see just how rusty I am. My previous experience was in writing Yugioh stuff, but now I've got me a new account and a new fandom to gush over so let's see how it goes._

_Bear with me, audience, I beg of you!_

_Rated T for Lovino's mouth and France's general presence._

_Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia or Aladdin in any way shape or form. So there._

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><p><strong>Antonio and the Fabulous Genie of the Lamp<strong>

**-Chapter One-**

Arthur heaved an impatient sigh as he adjusted his cloak to better shield himself from the chilly night air. It was an aggravating mystery, where all the infamous desert heat disappeared to as soon as the sun set and the moon began it's shift. Though he couldn't complain too much. Afterall, the Royal Vizier, trusted advisor to the Sultan of Agrabah, wasn't exactly supposed to be wandering around outside palace walls while the rest of the kingdom slept peacefully.

He was just about to consider turning his horse around and heading back to the warm comfort of his own bed when the soft sound of hoofbeats caught his ears, only audiable in the deafening silence of midnight. Within a few moments, he could make out a figure on horseback, steadily making their way towards him. When they finally came to a stop a couple of yards away and dismounted, Arthur greeted them with a sneer.

"You're late."

"Yeah, I know. I'm like, sorry about that." The man pulled off the hood that had been hiding his blonde locks, smiling lazily as he affectionately patted the horse (which in Arthur's opinion looked just a little bit _off_ somehow) beside him. "But I couldn't decide what to wear. I mean, like, what looks coolest for a secret meeting you know? I was totally gonna wear this awesome black thawb, but then I couldn't find a matching hat and-"

Arthur had to interrupt him before this ramble went any further.

"So do you have it then?" he demanded, clutching the reigns of his horse tightly in an effort to keep from slapping the blonde.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Totally!" The young man dug into the pockets of his robes, pulling out a rather oddly-shaped golden trinket. "I had to slit a few throats and sabotage a few wardrobes, but I got it!"

Arthur rolled his eyes and held out his hand, only to have his prize jerked out of his reach. The blonde man smiled slyly, wagging his finger and making a clicking noise with his tongue. The gesture only served to annoy the official further. "Ah-ah-ah. You owe me a little something first, pal. The treasure?"

Suddenly, a bright green blur zoomed across the blonde's line of vision and he felt something soft brush against his hand. He cried out in surprise, recoiling from the contact, and realized with a start that his hand was now empty. His gaze snapped up to the older man, amazed to see the small golden object now glinting in his palm. His eyes widened in disbelief, but Arthur merely seemed amused. He had heard rumors of a bushy-browed man in Agrabah with mysterious powers. He'd dismissed it all as mindless gossip, but now he found himself wondering.

Before he could get himself past gaping stupidly, Arthur chuckled and pulled something out of his vest, holding both items delicately between his fingers and examining them in the moonlight. They appeared to be nearly identical, now that he got a good look. Like two halves of some larger, broken piece of jewelry.

"Oh, trust me, my garish friend. You'll soon get what is coming to you." There wasn't time to contemplate on this somewhat ominous statement. As soon as Arthur pressed the halves together, revealing a scarab, a bright light exploded from the object and a pair of glowing yellow wings sprouted from either side. They fluttered wildly until Arthur released it, watching enraptured as the creature spun around in the air before shooting away, leaving a trail of golden dust behind it.

"Quickly! After it!" Green eyes sparkling with excitement and anticipation, the Vizier delivered a kick to his horse's side and bolted off in that direction. "We absolutely cannot lose sight of it!"

"H-Hey, like, wait for me!" The other man scrambled up onto his own horse and followed close behind, mind still reeling from the bizarre spectacle they'd just witnessed. The scarab weaved through the sky with impossible speed, the horses barely managing to keep within sight. The dazzling light and the way it's flittering wings almost sounded like windchimes held both men captivated, as though in a trance. Arthur could feel his heart pounding away in his chest as the suspense continued to build.

So close. He was so close to finally achieving his dream. Just a little bit further, a smidge bit longer, and the most powerful magic known to man would be under his control.

"Faster! We're almost there, I can feel it!"

"I can't, like, go any faster! Just where are we going anyway?"

In a matter of minutes, they had their answer. As they came upon a large sand dune, the scarab split itself in two again, each piece circling the mound once before lodging themselves into the sand, sitting there for a moment, still glowing a brilliant yellow. Just as the pair halted their horses a few feet away, the ground began to rumble. The earth itself seemed to shift and the dune grew larger, a huge mass rising up from beneath the sand. The scarab halves glowed brighter, morphing into two luminous white ovals, like a pair of menacing eyes that belonged on some fiercesome beast.

The commotion caused the horses to panic, crying out in alarm and rearing up to kick their front legs wildly. The two riders were thrown from the animals' backs, and the steeds swiftly evacuated the area, leaving two awestruck blonde men gaping at the billowing winds and shifting earth. What was previously nothing more than a sandy hill suddenly began to take the shape of a tiger's head, the ears and jaw jutting out and all the little curves of the face and whiskers becoming visible. Finally, the winds died down and the sand settled again, the tiger's jaw falling open to reveal sharp teeth and a mouth that glowed an eerie yellow and orange, as though there was a fire burning somewhere inside. A tense silence hung in the air for a second or two, before Arthur pushed himself up to his feet, gazing up at the beast, astounded and breathless.

"At last.." he murmured, then threw his arms up in celebration, eyes alight and cheeks flushed with excitement. "AT LAST! After all my years of searching, I've finally found it! The Cave of Wonders!"

"Oh...Em...Gee.." The other man, aghast and barely able to process his own words, staggered to his feet and just stared. He cautiously stepped closer, and as soon as he was within reach, Arthur's hand snapped out to grab his robe, pulling him close and immediately capturing his attention.

"Now remember! You get me that lamp! You can have all the treasure to yourself, but that lamp..! That lamp is _mine_, do you hear me?" The dark hiss that puncuated his statement was more than enough to coax a frantic nod of agreement from the other man. Arthur hmphed and shoved him forward, folding his arms up and watching, waiting with bated breath as his lackey approached the opening.

The man drew a shakey breath, licking his lips as his mind became enthralled with fantasies of glittering gold and jewels. Riches beyond his wildest dreams lay just beyond this cave, and he couldn't wait to lay his eyes on his new fortune. He hoisted himself up onto the tiger's lips, peering down it's throat in time to see the tongue morph into a a staircase that descended into a blinding light, making it impossible to tell what exactly await him at the bottom. Working his way around one of the teeth-it was almost as tall as he was-he had no sooner lifted his foot to step down when a hot gust of air blew him back, sending him tumbling back into the sand. The blonde yelped in shock, shoving his hood out of his face and looking up to meet the now narrowed eyes of the tiger.

"_Who dares disturb my slumber?_" A deep, gravelly voice boomed, the lips contorting to match the sounds before releasing a low breath and reassuming it's prior agape state. The blonde felt himself tremble slightly, but swallowed back his nerves and crawled back a few feet before pushing himself up again, calling out in response.

"I-It's like, me, Feliks! I'm..you know, just a humble thief or whatever! I'm here seeking the legendary treasure!" As an afterthought, he bowed deeply in respect, figuring if there was anyone in the world that he needed to show it to, a giant talking sand tiger was most definitely it.

"_Know this, thief. Only those whose worth lies far within may enter here. One who is a diamond in the rough.._"

"Er..yeah, totally! I got it!" Feliks glanced back towards Arthur for some sort of explaination (or maybe even a little reassurance would be nice) but the man just snorted and waved him forward.

"Well? What are you waiting for? Move it, you bloody git!" Feliks sighed and turned forward again, biting his bottom lip as he stood up straight and moved ahead. Much more hesitantly this time. He sucked in a deep breath, hands shaking as he pulled himself up once more. He could hear the tiger exhale, feeling the more gentle, warm breeze as he continued inside. Coming to the top of the staircase, he stood there, debating with himself if he really wanted to go through with this. There was still time to back out. He could still turn around and go home and go back to pickpocketing on the streets where it was safe and free of magical talking caves. Of course, he'd probably never get a chance like this again.

Balling his hands into tight fists, chewing on his bottom lip nervously, Feliks lifted his foot, slowly, very slowly, leaning his weight forward and stepping down onto the first stair. He cringed, listening, waiting, expecting something awful to happen. Something to explode, collapse, to suddenly become engulfed in fire, but nothing happened. All was calm and he was still alive. He breathed a sigh of relief and pressed onward.

Without warning, a white hot flash of light enveloped his vision and the ground quaked under him. The walls around him trembled, sand spilling from the ceiling. Feliks yelped, nearly positive he could make out a feral growl, and twisted around, clamouring for the exit. The tiger lifted it's jaw, tilting it's head back just slightly, and before the blonde could make it to freedom, the enormous jaws had clamped down ontop of him, burying the screaming man beneath a mountain of sand.

Arthur cried out in devastation, shielding his face as the wind whipped violently about. Within seconds the magical being had sunk back into the earth, a dulled orange light still flashing beneath the surface as that voice echoed through the air.

"_Seek thee out..._

_A diamond in the rough.._"

The raging winds died down and the once fiercely glowing eyes had shrunk into the small, listless half-scarabs, which rolled down the mound and settled to a stop at his feet. Arthur stared down at them, disheartened, his shoulders slumping. He sighed in disappointment and frustration, closing his eyes and reaching up to pinch the bridge of his nose.

"_I can't believe it! We were so close!_"

A tiny voice piped up behind him, interrupting his thoughts. The Vizier turned his head up to see a mint green rabbit with wings fly out from under his cloak, dipping down to pick up the pieces. He held out his hand and the creature dropped the gold into his palm, looking deeply dissatisfied. "_Master, I'm starting to worry that we may never get our hands on this lamp_."

"Patience, Flying Mint Bunny." The rabbit sat upon his shoulder and he gently pet it's head. "Obviously, that Feliks bloke wasn't worthy."

"_That's not exactly a surprise_." Mint Bunny muttered, earning a small chuckle and a light tap of repremand to the top of the head.

"Yes, yes. Well, it wasn't a complete waste of time. We found the location of the cave. Now we just need to find the right man to send in."

"_Yeah, but what's with this Diamond in the Rough thing? What does that even mean? Somebody who is valuable on the inside but not on the outside or something? How are we supposed to find a guy like that?_" Arthur hmphed, lowering his head slightly while a dark smirk played upon his lips, eyes narrowing in determintaion.

"Don't worry, my adorable little friend. I've got something in mind." A low, devious chuckle spilled from his throat, a sound made all that much creepier and unsettling by the cold stillness of the otherwise silent desert plain. And then.

"_Master? How are we going to get back home without any horses?_"

"...Bollocks."

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><p><em>Well, there's my first try there. Have I totally butchered the characters in my attempt to relate them to their Aladdin counterparts? Let's hope not.<em>

_If it's not too much trouble, can I get some feedback? This would be greatly appreciated, thank you!_


	2. One Jump Ahead

_Hello again, readers! Thanks so much for sticking around for the second installment. I sincerely apologize for taking so long to update! For some reason, it was surprisingly difficult to get through this chapter. I'll be trying very hard from here on out to avoid copying the movie too closely. Of course, there will be a lot of similarities, but I will be at least attempting to change it up. I think you'll all approve of the added characters as well. Maybe. I hope._

_Also! Thank you SOOOOO much for the reviews! I feel so cool, getting comments 3_

_Sorry about having to make England the bad guy. The villain was originally going to be Turkey (since he fights with Spain over Romano in the anime), but then I realized Evil Wizard = Arthur makes so much more sense. And sorry about Poland too. If it makes you guys feel any better, in my head he digs his way out and rides off into the sunset with Lithuania or something._

_Oh, and I'd better warn you all now. There will be gratuitous Spanish. I honestly cannot envision Antonio not using Spanish phrases now and then, so I have to include it. They will most likely be awful. Please, dear GOD correct me if I mess something up!_

_Alright, so without further ado, let's continue our story! Time to introduce our main character!_

_Disclaimer: Still don't own these things._

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><p><strong>-Chapter Two-<strong>

The relative peace of another warm day in the Agrabah marketplace was abruptly shattered when a small fruit stand all but exploded. An ominous tearing sound in the overhanging tarp was followed almost immediately by a man-sized figure crashing into a display of melons, sending bits and pieces of fruit and wood everywhere. For a few seconds, the merchant could only gape in shock, but after recovering launched into a flurry of outraged shouts and curses at the young man that was clumsily pushing himself up out of the mess.

"Aha ha ha, sorry about that!" Antonio laughed sheepishly, brushing off the small chunks of melon innard that clung to his tanned skin and already dirty clothes. He glanced around, then skywards, to the giant hole through which he could see the edge of the building he'd just leapt off of. Luckily, it was only a couple of stories or that fall might have been quite a bit nastier. He could also make out the faces of one of the royal guards he'd been trying to elude, taking a shameful amount of pleasure in seeing the frustration of that blonde-haired man with the icey blue eyes. He always appeared to be scowling regardless, but Antonio liked to think that he put Ludwig in a particularily foul mood with his antics.

"You wreckless son of a-!" The guard whipped his head around to look somewhere out of Antonio's line of vision, likely to his partner. He signalled them to move back, and quickly hurried out of sight. The fugitive chuckled to himself, knowing very well neither of those two had the guts to pull the kind of idiotic stunts he did on an alarmingly regular basis.

"Looks like that's my cue. Sorry again, sir, but I must get going!" Still completely oblivious to the enraged shop owner, the man hoisted himself over the countertop of the stand and bolted down the street, weaving through the crowd as swiftly as his bare feet could carry him.

This had become something of a daily routine to the young man. Though he must be having an off day today, he realized, because usually he had lost his pursuers by now. The royal guards certainly seemed out for blood today. And to think, this was all over a measly couple of stolen tomatoes.

Speaking of which.

"Ah, that's right!" He dug into his vest, slowing down just enough to keep moving without running into anybody while he was distracted. He fished out two small, bright red fruits (or were they vegetables? no...no he was pretty sure they were fruits), his mouth already watering at the sight. They weren't the most impressive specimens he'd ever seen, but they were his absolute favorite food and any chance to bite into that juicy goodness was the equivalent of Heaven. "Aaah, I can't wait. You look so delicious...I wonder if Gi-"

Before he could finish his creepy muttering to a pair of inanimate objects, he suddenly bumped into something very warm and firm. Stumbling back a little, Antonio jerked his head up, meeting that cold, familiar blue gaze.

Well, shoot.

"Gah! L-Ludwig!" Antonio yelped and scrambled a good few feet back, also catching sight of the second, black-haired guard out of the corner of his eyes. He was kind of unsettling in his own way, always quiet and expressionless (he remembered Ludwig calling him "Kiku" or something once). A nervous laugh bubbled from his throat, something of an automatic response when he found himself in a tight spot. "Wow, you guys are really getting fast, aren't you? You must have had to go all the way around the other way to get in front of me like this."

"_Don't_ call me by name, you degenerate street rat." The blonde man hissed, drawing his sword as he stepped closer. Everything about his demeanor gave off the impression of a predator that was about to corner it's prey. And Antonio had to admit, it was just the tiniest bit intimidating.

"Come on now, don't be so sensitive. Don't you think this is a lot of trouble to go through for a few little tomatoes? I mean, nobody would have even noticed if I hadn't accidently dropped one-"

"Stealing is stealing!" Ludwig insisted, and the thief could see that blade glint threateningly in the sunlight. "Besides, this is hardly your first offense, is it _Antonio_?" He cringed slightly at the way the guard spit out his name like it left a bad taste in his mouth.

"Aw, you know I can't help it! A man has to eat,_ si_?" Antonio laughed again, and suddenly felt his back hit a wall. It was only then that he realized he had still been backing up, and when he looked around in a momentary panic, he found he had also somehow been herded into a corner.

How had that even happened? He was in the middle of the street like, three seconds ago!

It soon became painfully clear that Antonio was trapped, and he swallowed back a lump in his throat as the duo advanced on him. Ludwig's lips had twisted into a victorious smirk by then, and were it not for the white blur of movement he just barely spotted in the background, the man surely would have thought himself done for.

"SURPRISE!"

Needless to say, neither guard had been expecting the large bedsheet that was suddenly thrown over their heads (thank goodness they were standing so close together). Momentarily stunned, they could do nothing but flail blindly while a pale hand reached out and grabbed Antonio's arm, pulling him out of the corner and quickly dragging him down a nearby alleyway. The green-eyed youth sighed with relief, beaming gratefully at his albino savior.

"Wonderful timing, Gilbert! _Gracias_!"

"Kesesese! That was pretty awesome, wasn't it? You're so lucky to have me around to save your ass!" The other man glanced back to flash him a broad grin. A yellow ball of fluff poked itself out of his shirt collar, chirping enthusiastically in greeting. Antonio couldn't help but chuckle, returning a smile.

"_Gracias, mi amigo._ Ah, did you and Gilbird eat already? He's still got tiny bread crumbs in his feathers."

"What? Gilbird, that is most unawesome! Stop sneaking into my pockets for bread, we're saving that to share!" The creature only squeaked innocently in response, earning a playfully scolding look from it's master. "Don't you gimme that!"

By the time they'd made it to the end of the alleyway, they could already hear the hurried footsteps still giving chase behind them. Antonio recognized that furious voice calling out to them and knew they were going to have to hide. If they just kept running this was never going to stop. Emerging into another street full of stands and shoppers, Gilbert paused for a moment to look around before tugging his friend towards a stand whose owner was standing a good few feet away from it, distracted by a discussion with a customer. Seeing their opportunity, the pair jumped over the counters and ducked down out of sight, pursing their lips tightly and crouching as low to the ground as possible.

"They came this way, hurry!" Ludwig's voice soon boomed from nearby as both guards appeared on the street, eyes scanning the bustling throng of regular citizens with no success. The blonde cursed, sheathing his sword and turning towards the black-haired man with irritation. "They can't have gone far. I'll search this way, you go that way. Call out if you find them." The other man nodded without question.

"Right."

"And Kiku? See if you can find Roderich." Ludwig groaned to himself at the thought of that hapless third guard wandering around somewhere. "He's most likely lost again, but at least he's back up."

"R-Right." Kiku nodded again, looking a little more sympathetic to his partner's aggravation. With that, both men turned and moved off in their respective directions to sniff out the two offenders.

The criminals waited a good minute or two for the footsteps to fade, drowned out by the rabble of everyday conversation that floated through the air. Heaving a sigh, Antonio sat up a bit straighter, certain they were safe now. He looked to his pale friend with an accomplished smile.

"Sounds like they've gone. Let's get out of...Gilbert!" Antonio slapped the other man's hand, which had been stealthily creeping towards a glittering string of beads that hung over the side of the table. Gilbert cursed as he was repremanded, shooting Antonio a dirty look. It wasn't his fault that they _just happened _to land in a jewelry cart and that necklace _just happened_ to be looming so tantalizingly close to his face.

"Whaaaaat? I was just looking..!"

"You look with your eyes!"

"Oh come on, Antonio, can't I just swipe _one_? We could sell it and easily pay for food for like, a week! How awesome would that be? Then we wouldn't have to get chased by those two bumbling losers everyday."

"We only steal what we absolutely need. We don't _need_ jewelry." Antonio insisted. Gilbert just whined and kicked his feet like a child who had been denied a new toy.

"You're being so not awesome, 'Tonio! Such a spoil sport." Antonio just rolled his eyes and pushed himself up, beginning to carefully climb out.

"So whiny. Hurry up, let's go before-"

"HEY! GET OUT OF THERE, YOU TWO! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!"

"Run away!"

"Kesesese!"

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><p>"So did you have any trouble getting this?" Antonio savored the delectable taste of fresh, still warm bread as he munched on the half loaf Gilbert had given him. The other thief was enjoying the second half himself, tearing off a small chunk of it and handing it up to the baby chick resting on his shoulder.<p>

"Nah, not really. I've had enough practice, afterall." He took a bite of his bread, chewing thoughtfully. "I did run into that one prissy guard with the glasses. The one that dresses way too fancy and talks like he's so sophisticated." He swallowed his bite and snickered to himself. "Being as awesome as I am, I lost him in no time. Ran through a flock of sheep and he was all, _Oh I don't wanna get my pretty clothes dirty!_ Kesese..."

"Roderich? Yeah, he's not too bad." Antonio smiled to himself, watching random strangers pass by while they sat together on a stoop. A crowded street was always the best hiding place, he believed. Though he suspected those guys had probably given up by now. "He's definitely not as bad as Ludwig! That guy is scary!"

"Don't you think it's kinda sad that you know the names of all the guys that want to hang you?" Gilbert quirked a brow at his eccentric partner in crime. Though really, he couldn't bring himself to be that surprised by anything about Antonio at this point. They really had known eachother for far too long. The darker-skinned man laughed and rubbed the back of his neck self-consciously.

"Aw, I don't think they want to _hang_ me. Maybe just cut off my hands."

"If they do, you're on your own. I'm not lending you mine."

"That's so _unawesome_ of you, Gilbert."

"Hey! No! That is MY word! You don't get to use it!"

All too soon the bread was gone, and neither man was anywhere near full. The meager meals they managed to scrape together just barely staved off hunger for a few hours, and Antonio couldn't remember a time when either one of them was actually satisfied. Though there was a silver lining today. He grinned brightly and reached into his vest, digging out the two small tomatoes he had been saving.

"Ta-da! Look what I've got." He held out one of the fruits to his friend ratherly proudly. The white-haired man glanced over with interest, eyebrows raised in surprise. He was nowhere near as fond of tomatoes as Antonio was, but the offer of more food could absolutely never be turned down. He took it with a nod of appreciation, biting into the soft red skin.

"So this is what they were chasing you for. Figures." Antonio cheerily cradled his own in his hands, taking in the gorgeous sight.

"I can't help it. We don't find tomatoes very often, you know. It's a crime that they're so rare in the marketplace."

"I prefer potatoes, myself." Gilbert remarked, staring forward with disinterest. It was about then that he noticed the crowd of people had grown quite a bit larger, and they began to cluster together on either side of the street, parting to make way for something. For what, exactly, became apparent with the approaching sound of horns and hoofbeats.

A small procession made it's way up the street towards them, not too bright or flashy but still obnoxiously loud. A band of minstrals and flag-bearers (which nation had the red flag with the moon and star on it again?) followed behind a rather important-looking man on a pure white horse. Tanned skin covered by silky, ornate clothing of dark, rich colors. He might have had handsome features to him, Gilbert mused, but most were covered by an offputting white mask and one of those annoying poofy hats with the fuzzy plumes ontop. Worst of all, he was wearing one of those serious frowns, with his head tilted upward at just the right angle to give off that air of arrogance and _my business is far more important than anything you will ever do in your insignificant little life._

Gilbert despised few things with more passion than he did those visiting princes. Who were they to think themselves so much better than him? They didn't know him! How dare they assume themselves more awesome than himself just because they had pants without holes in them!

"God, again? How many of those annoying suitors are gonna try to bang that fruity prince before he finally up and picks one? I mean, it's not like it even matters, does it? The Sultan isn't likely to kick the bucket anytime soon."

"I wonder what the prince actually looks like." Antonio hummed thoughtfully to himself, more or less ignoring Gilbert's bewilderment at the methods of the government. Gilbert just snorted and leaned back against the arch of the doorway.

"He's probably just another pompous, spoiled little brat. You never see him at official events or when the Sultan makes his public addresses. I bet it's because he thinks he's too good to waste his time with commoners."

"You're so judgemental, Gil." Antonio snickered. The red-eyed man huffed and roughly nudged his friend, who gave a startled yelp as the tomato suddenly slipped out of his grasp and rolled away. Without hesitation, he leapt up and chased after it, shoving through the crowd. "Nooo! My precious, come back!" The fruit got some pretty good distance given the lack of any kind of slope to the ground, and ended up being kicked right into the middle of the street. Antonio didn't even realize he'd jumped in the path of the oncoming horse until it reeled back with an earsplitting cry, almost knocking the rider off. Gilbert barely managed to jerk him out of the way as the hooves came back down, splattering the little tomato into the dirt.

"Antonio, you dumbass! Will you look where you're going?" the albino scolded. His shouts fell on deaf ears, however, as all of Antonio's attention lay with the pulverized remnants of his dinner. His expression contorted into unspeakable horror at the carnage and he fell to his knees with a cry of despair.

"_MI TOMATE! Está muerto! _Oh God, how can you be so cruel to innocent fruit!"

"You two! Get out of my way, you're blocking the street!" The prince snapped impatiently from atop his steed. He might have been glaring at them, but neither could be positive. Gilbert scoffed defiantly and planted his feet firmly in place, setting one hand on his hip and pointing an accusing finger at the man with the other.

"Don't you get all uppity now, buddy! You almost ran over my friend, _and_ crushed his dinner. I think you owe us a little apology and some compensation!" The horseman grunted in annoyance, reaching for something at his hip.

"Excuse me? How dare you speak to me with such disrespect! I'll compensate you with a lesson in manners!" He drew a whip from his side, cracking it at the white-haired man. Gilbert was entirely sure he would have dodged it by himself with no problem, but before he could show off his awesome reflexes, Antonio shot up and caught the end of the whip, wrapping the cord around his wrist and tugging it roughly out of the prince's grasp. The royal figure was briefly stunned by this action, and excited murmurs rippled through the crowd of bystanders. He hesitated in shouting out curses at the man when he saw his face. What had once been the childish expression of a fool had turned into something much more dark and serious, lips set in a firm line and green eyes narrowed and blazing.

"That's not very nice." Antonio muttered, unraveling the whip from his arm and tossing it back to it's owner, who caught it with a bit less grace than he would have liked. "You shouldn't draw a weapon on an unarmed pedestrian like that. It's very rude." The prince gave a flustered huff and kicked at his horse's sides to get it moving again, making sure to kick the scoundrel off his feet as he passed. Antonio fell back without resistance, landing in an inconveniently placed puddle of mud and eliciting laughter from the strangers around them.

"Remember your place, you worthless little street rat. The both of you should just crawl back into your hole and wait for the rats to devour you." Antonio sat up, sputtering and wiping the mud off his face while he glared after the man. Gilbert hurried over, leaning down to grab his arm and carefully pull him back to his feet. Once the brunette was upright again, he attempted to brush some of the gunk from his friend's clothes.

"Jeez, can you believe that guy? It's not everyday you see a horse with two rear ends. You okay, 'Tonio?" Antonio heaved a sigh, nodding slowly as he watched after the prince.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks, Gilbert." The procession continued forward, leaving the duo standing there in the dust. When they'd finally gotten out of sight, Antonio cast one last forlorn look to the destroyed tomato before turning away and heading back down the street. "Come on, let's go home."

"You alright, man?" Gilbert followed along after him, reaching up to calm the furiously chirping bird on his shoulder by gently scratching it's neck.

"I'm okay," Antonio assured, waving dismissively. Though the slump of his shoulders and downward curve of his lips indicated otherwise. "Just a little disappointed. I never even got a bite of that delicious tomato! It looked so nice and juicy too..." Gilbert blinked once or twice, his own face blanking for a moment. Rolling his eyes, the paler young man slipped his free hand into his pocket and pulled out the uneaten half of his own tomato, casually throwing it to his partner.

"Stop sulking. It totally doesn't suit a bubbly guy like you." Antonio made a soft noise of surprise and caught the offering, eyes gleaming with wonder and gratitude.

"R-Really? I can have this? But it's yours."

"Ah, I don't really like tomatoes much anyway. You finish it." It was only half a lie, and Gilbert had actually intended to finish it later, but the way Antonio's face lit up like a kid on Christmas made the sacrifice more than worth it.

"Haaaah, _gracias! Muchas gracias, amigo!_ You're the best!" Gilbert just grinned smugly to himself, folding his arms up behind his head as they made their way back home.

"Of course I am."

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><p><em>PRUSSIA APPEARS.<em>

_Yes, I have replaced Abu with the awesome Gilbert and his chick. I regret nothing. _

_Can you guess who the suitor is? Should be pretty obvious. Though I feel a little guilty about including him when I have absolutely no idea how to write him. For now, accept this Pompous-Prince-Achmed version of him. He won't be around long enough for it to really matter, anyway._

_Why does this chapter feel so short, even though it's longer than the previous one? I apologize. Regardless, I hope you all enjoyed it and will want to continue reading! Next chapter is Lovi, if that's any kind of incentive!_

_Tips and feedback is greatly appreciated, thank you~! See you guys next chapter!_


	3. Call Me a Prince

_Hello again, readers! Thank you for returning for more of my nonsense! So I guess evidently these chapters will keep getting longer and longer...it appears I have little control over this. Oh well...more to enjoy hopefully? Bah._

_Squeeee~ Thank you so much everyone for the reviews~! I feel so honored everytime I get any kind of commentary and I'm really glad people seem to be liking the story so far. I'll do my best to keep you all entertained!_

_Now to address some specific reviews:_

**_ Unknown Variable:_**_ No, for the purposes of this story, Gilbert and Ludwig are not related. Sadly, I could not find a way to make that work. Maybe I'll give them a bromance or something later in the story. In regards to Feli, you're about to find out!_

**_FlappyTurtle:_**_ Spamano/Aladdin crossover comic? COULD YOU PERHAPS MEAN THIS zero chan . net/607844__ (remove the spaces of course)? BECAUSE THAT WAS TOTALLY MY INSPIRATION FOR THIS FIC._

_That's all for now. Any more questions you may have will be answered to the best of my abilities! Until then, I hope you enjoy this chapter!_

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><p><strong>-Chapter Three-<strong>

The interior of the royal palace was every bit as extravagant and colorful as it was rumored to be. Once up the steep front staircase and through the tall, heavy, mahogany doors, the small group of foreigners found themselves standing in the middle of an impressively spacious throne room. The ceiling was high and the walls were decorated with gorgeous tapestries and paintings, exotic and breathtaking pieces of artwork. Bright, vibrant plants dotted the room and adjacent hallways. The richly-colored drapery swayed slightly with the constant breeze that came from the balcony which made up one side of the room, and must have overlooked a pleasant view of the city outside those tall palace walls. All in all, it was a pretty sight with a rather serene feel to it.

On the other side of the room, at the end of a long, ruby-red carpet, stood an elaborate throne, whose occupant sat straight and proud in silence. He was a young man, looking somewhat out of place in the broad-shouldered robes and the round, feathered turban that were customary for the Sultan to wear. A neutral expression was plastered on his face, golden eyes fixed on the newly arrived procession and a single wayward curl bouncing slightly as he tilted his head up to look at them curiously. Off to the side, one of the palace guards that had let them in announced the group.

"Presenting his majesty, Prince Sadiq Adnan of Turkey!" The band of musicians who had followed the prince inside (along with the rest of his royal entourage) gave out one last note on their horns before obediantly quieting themselves. Sadiq, meanwhile, flashed a charming smile as he strode halfway up the carpet with a confident air, his white cape fluttering behind him dramatically. When he came to a stop, he moved down on one knee, lowering his head in a gesture of respect for the ruler. As was standard procedure, of course.

"Great Sultan! It is an honor to visit your glorious lands. I come bearing gifts from my own home as a humble gesture of good will between our kingdoms. And perhaps future unity." He made a subtle gesture and right away several of the Turkish prince's men moved forward, setting before the young Sultan bags of glittering gold and jewels, boxes of spices and exotic fruits, and small chests containing ornate tapestries and beautifully decorated clothing. The enticing sparkle of the offered riches, however, barely seemed to phase the seated man. Instead, he leaned forward a little, staring at the prince with interest - and maybe a bit of scrutiny.

"Ve~ Prince Sadiq of Turkey, right. Welcome. So you're here to seek my brother's hand in marriage, huh?" Sadiq was admittedly a little startled by the Sultan's directness, but looked up with a small chuckle and nodded.

"Well, I didn't expect to discuss it right away, but yes, your majesty." He carefully pushed himself up to his feet again, standing tall and straight. He had a naturally commanding presence and a strong stature, qualities he knew that officials admired and thus he flaunted frequently. "I have traveled through the desert, from the safety of my own nation, to this great city of yours all in the hopes of winning the favor of your illustrious Prince Lovino. I'm positive that if you'll give me the chance I can conv-"

"Ve~ That won't be necessary. The prince is no longer looking for suitors."

"Wh-Wha.." Sadiq faltered for a moment, thoroughly thrown off by the sudden declaration. "I'm...sorry, what? What do you mean, did he already choose someone? Why was I not informed before I came all the way here?"

"Ve~ No, he didn't. But he's not going to get married so he doesn't need anymore stupid suitors coming over and trying to buy his affections~!" The prince would be flat-out lying if he said he didn't feel rather affronted by this accusation. Granted, it was kind of completely true. Actual romance and affection was never his main goal here, but political marriages rarely catered to such lofty emotions.

"Sultan, with all due respect-"

"I SAID HE'S NOT INTERESTED. SO TAKE YOUR STUPID TREASURE AND YOUR ANNOYING GROUPIES AND LEAVE, MASKED BASTARD, VE!"

"E-EXCUSE ME?"

"Lovino! There you are!" A new, distinctly female, voice broke through the mounting tension in the room and drew all eyes towards one of the doorways that led to an adjoining hall. A woman with long, flowing, ash-brown hair and olive eyes stormed into the throne room, twisting back momentarily to shout into the hallway. "Feli! Feli, he's in here, I found him!" The Sultan jerked, looking terrified in the split second before the woman had come over and pinched his ear, pulling him down off his seat and eliciting several short yelps of pain.

"OwowowOW! Shit! Elizaveta, come on!" The Sultan's voice had abruptly dropped a couple octaves lower and he flailed helplessly in the iron grip, instantly losing all traces of that powerful, official demeanor from before. And then, another presence entered.

"_Fratello!_ Ve~ There you are! We were so worried you'd run off. I'm glad you're okay!" As if the current scene weren't bizarre enough for the visiting Turks, in waltzed the Sultan's clone. Actually, clone wasn't the right word. Because a moment or two of careful observation revealed that this new young man's hair was a bright auburn in comparison to the other's darker locks, and his curl was at a slightly different but noticable angle. His eyes, when he opened them, were also a sparkling shade of amber instead of gold. Not to mention, he flitted across the room with the carefree air of a too-tall-for-his-age child. He _was_, however, dressed in the traditional Sultan garb (minus one poofy hat), creating an even more surreal picture when the two were standing right next to eachother.

Needless to say, Sadiq had no idea what exactly he was looking at here.

"Sh-Shut up! Go away, dumbass, I'll handle this myself!" Lovino was wriggling defiantly in the woman's grasp, but to no avail.

"Oh, _fratello_! You found my hat, thank you!" Feliciano ignored his brother's clear annoyance and reached up to grab the hat from his head, pulling it securely back over his own with a relieved smile. "Ve~ Now Ludwig won't yell at me for losing it again. Thank goodness."

"Would you stop worrying about that stupid potato-bastard and help _me_ out for once?" But again, Lovino's frustrated cries fell upon deaf ears as his younger brother's attention turned to their guests, who he must have just realized were there.

"Oh! Hey, you're Prince Sadiq, right? They said you'd be coming today." Feliciano smiled politely, dropping his immaturity and aloofness for the time being to greet the man properly. He stepped closer, coming to a halt a good foot or two in front of Sadiq and outstretched his hand. "It's so nice to have you in the palace! I'm Feliciano, the Sultan of Agrabah!"

"Ah...of...of course.." Still reeling from the sheer ridiculousness of what had just happened, the prince did his best to return an appropriate smile and take the real Sultan's hand in a firm but friendly shake. "The pleasure is all mine, Sultan." As hard as he tried to fight the urge, Sadiq found his eyes wandering over to the imposter with an expression that clearly wondered, _But then who is he..?_

"Ve~ I see you already met my big brother, Lovino." The wide smile that spread across Feliciano's face as he looked back at his still struggling, cursing, near-mirror image was laced with a curious mixture of pride and sheepish apology. "Sorry, he can be kind of silly sometimes. He's really just shy about meeting so many new people lately! I'm sure once you get to know eachother better, you two will get along great!"

Ah, of course. Prince Lovino. Sadiq had heard that the two looked eerily similar. He had also heard about his reputation of being a spoiled, fussy, antisocial, perpetually aggravated little nuisance.

Well, he was certainly making good on those rumors so far.

"_Fratello, _why don't you go with Miss Elizaveta and get ready for dinner?" Feliciano suggested cheerfully. "The chefs are making special pasta tonight! Oh, Prince Sadiq you like pasta right? Well you'll definitely love ours, ve~!"

"Pasta? Shouldn't the food here be a little more...Middle Eastern?"

"Ve~ You think so?"

In spite of all of Lovino's kicking and screaming, he was no match for the disturbingly masculine woman that led him out of the throne room and down the hall towards his own chambers. As his foolish brother's voice faded into the distance, the prince finally ceased and reluctantly let himself be dragged away. Elizaveta was somewhat relieved, but looked to him with both sympathy and scorn.

"Lovi, what were you thinking? You can't pull crazy stunts like that when the suitors are visiting. You could get in serious trouble that way." Lovino snorted and turned his chin up in an expression of stubborn defiance.

"Tch. Like that dumbass Feliciano would ever have the guts to confront _me_. He can barely even frown let alone think up any kind of punishment to try and keep me in line." And this was true, because the young Sultan was reknowned for being a soft, friendly, carefree ruler who really had no business being in any sort of position of power. How the kingdom was still standing at all with his passive aggressive (sometimes cowardly) style of running things was a complete and utter mystery to all those involved in the government.

"True enough." Elizaveta chuckled in spite of herself. Seeing that the boy had calmed down and probably wasn't going to make a run for it, she finally released him. The prince grumbled to himself as he rubbed his sore, reddened ear, casting a heated glare down the hallway. The woman's lips curved into a small, worried frown as she watched him.

"But in all seriousness, Lovi...you need to try and behave yourself a bit more. I know you're not very happy about it, but if you just opened your mind a little-"

"Open my mind my ass! That's just another fucking way of saying shut up and do what we tell you! How many times do I have to say it before anybody actually fucking _listens_ to me? I DON'T WANT TO GET MARRIED." Elizaveta cringed ever so slightly at the young man's harsh tone, though really more from the volume than anything else. She sighed softly, reaching up to adjust the flower that was slipping out of her hair.

"I know you don't, Lovi. We all know." She spoke more quietly this time, her voice gentle and soothing, almost motherly. A sound that usually cooled Lovino's hot temper and forced him to calm. Consequently, it was also something he quietly detested. "But the rules are the rules. You need to at least be engaged by your next birthday. It really doesn't help that you've put it off until the last minute like this, either - only having another two weeks left."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it already. What I want clearly doesn't matter." Lovino puffed out his cheeks like an irate child, coming to a stop in front of the tall wooden doors leading to his bed chambers. Automatically, Elizaveta pushed them open for him, gesturing for him to move inside and following after him when he did.

The young man stood in the middle of his large though sparcely decorated room, folding his arms and glaring down at his feet in thought while his maidservant scurried over to the closet to rifle through his best clothes. His room, Lovino mused, was a pretty accurate represention of his life. Soft and cushy, full of mirrors and useless trinkets that were only there to look nice. Curtains just translucent enough to give him an obscured vision of the outside world.

Luxurious, frivilous, safe.

Devoid of personality or life or excitement. Devoid of purpose.

"Ooooh~! What about this one?"

"Fuck no." Without even looking, Lovino spat out his refusal. The enthusiasm in Elizaveta's voice was always directly proportionate to the level of humiliation he would suffer from any given outfit she chose for him. A disappointed whine was the only objection she returned before continuing her search. While silence engulfed the room once more, Lovino meandered out onto the unnecessarily large balcony, pushing aside the curtains and sucking in a lung full of fresh, warm, desert air.

The sky was blue, giving way to darker, pinker shades of color as the sun began to sink into evening. No matter how hard men tried, no glittering gem, dyed cloth, or painted canvas could ever capture the beauty of a natural sunset. Resting his upper body against the balcony railing, Lovino thought how nice it would be to watch this scene from the window of one of those small buildings that crowded the surrounding city. To see the soft light of the fading day play off the earth-tone walls and listen to the busy chatter of random citizens passing by on their way home. To maybe spend these hours in a quaint little tavern, listening to folky music and riotous laughter, drinking just for the sake of getting drunk, and sharing dirty, uncouth jokes with friends.

Real friends. Friends who wouldn't treat him like a delicate palace flower. Who would let him curse and complain and run around in less-than-perfect clothes and get covered in mud and dirt. Let him be everything and anything that he wanted to be and still like him in spite of it. Or perhaps even _because_ of it.

Shit, he was starting to sound like an angsty teenage girl. He felt compelled to punch a kitten or something just to regain some of his man-points.

A soft chirping sound reached his ears, bringing his attention to a snow white bird perched on the rail just a few feet away. It sat there twitching it's wings and tail, tiny head twisting this way and that in little jerky motions. Lovino found himself momentarily entranced by the creature. Hesitantly, without really thinking about it, he reached out to try and touch it. He had barely even extended his hand when the bird jumped up and took off into the sky, leaving behind a few small bits of fluff and the sound of fluttering wings. He watched after quietly as the avian creature soared through the air, past the high palace walls, and disappeared into the brightness of the sun.

Lucky bastard.

"Oh oh oh! Lovi I found it! This is perfect, come inside and try this on!"

"Shit."

He was going to need to punch so many kittens after this.

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><p>Sadiq wasn't sure exactly how long he had been sitting at the banquet table, listening to the Sultan's incessant yammering while they waited for the prince to return from his quarters. It certainly <em>felt<em> like hours, though.

"So then I asked Kiku about it, but Kiku said that no that wasn't really what normally happened as far as he knew, but he couldn't be sure it was that way for everyone, so I asked Ludwig and he just got mad and yelled at me for interrupting him when he was trying to sleep, but I was really curious and sometimes he'll let me sleep in his room anyway, so I didn't think it was a big deal and-"

The Turk had long ago tried to drown out that high-pitched, rambling voice and all the nonsense that accompanied it. It was difficult, however, when Feliciano sat right next to him, looking at him, and expected at least an occational nod of acknowledgement. It took every ounce of self-control Sadiq possessed to keep that plastic smile on his face, and he was suddenly infinitely glad for the mask that hid his annoyed stare.

Just when he was seriously about to go mad, the doors were flung open and the Sultan finally stopped talking just long enough to redirect his attention to the man who entered the room. A wave of relief (and to an extent, dread) washed over Sadiq and he looked up to meet a sight that left the smallest traces of pink on his face.

Lovino stalked into the room, looking all kinds of uncomfortable in his current attire. A powder blue top that barely covered his chest, leaving his midsection painfully exposed, with long sleeves made out of an airy, almost see-through fabric. A sash was loosely wrapped around his waist, covering up the hem of poofy pants of a matching color that led down to a pair of curly-toed shoes. The young man was also decked out in all manner of shimmering gold jewelry - necklaces, bracelets, rings, even earrings, and some of it sporting brightly colored stones. The embarassed flush that colored his cheeks and the way he avoided direct eye contact added a hint of innocence to the previously rude and firey young man.

The picture of refinement, wealth, and royalty.

"Ve~ _Fratello_, you look so pretty! Come sit down! Prince Sadiq and I were just talking about that time when-"

"I don't give a shit!" Lovino snapped testily, taking his seat on Feliciano's other side - and regrettably directly across from their guest. "Just shut up and let's get this over with, okay?"

Well, that pleasantness was short-lived. If nothing else, Sadiq reasoned silently to himself, the boy was at least handsome. He could put up with his foul mood for the time being, and hopefully persuade him to be a bit more obedient and well-mannered after the marriage. Heaving a sigh, he forced the smile back onto his face and prepared for the inevitably rocky conversation ahead. It would all be worth it, he assured himself, when he held partial control of Agrabah.

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><p>Ludwig heaved a tired sigh as he made his way through the palace's main hall, towards the dining area usually reserved for special occations and company. It had been a particularily long day, especially when he had spent a good two hours scouring the streets for a certain pair of street urchins. In the end, he had to accept temporary defeat and return to policing the rest of the general population. Now, thankfully, night was settling in and the city had fallen into a relative peace. He had really been looking forward to getting some dinner, maybe doing a bit of inventory on the treasury and weapons storage, then some sword maintenance and a little tidying up before finally retiring to bed.<p>

Had been, until he received an urgent message upon his arrival that he was needed in the Grand Dining Hall. Getting no actual specifics, but suspecting it was just another one of Feliciano's attempts to coax him into eating together, he had sent Kiku and Roderich off to tend to their own business while he investigated solo. As he turned another corner, he could make out the faint echoes of a rucus somewhere nearby, and then a cry of relief.

"LUDWIG! Ve! I'm so glad you're finally here!" The guard had all of about three seconds to brace himself before he was nearly tackled by a frantic brunette. He immediately burst into an unintelligible explanation of what was going on, and from what the blonde could make out it had something to do with Lovino, dinner, some guest, and a candelabra. Adding to the feeling that something very unpleasant had happened, Feliciano was smeared from head to toe in red. His face, his clothes, even the turban he clutched in one hand, and for a moment Ludwig felt alarm prickle at his chest - _Blood?_ His hand instinctively flew to the handle of his sword.

Wait. No. Not blood.

Tomato sauce?

What on-

Suddenly, the doors of the dining hall were violently thrown open, and a disheveled man with a broken mask in his hand and a rainbow of stains on his once prim and proper clothes stumbled out. He shoved past the pair with an outraged snarl, glaring back as he dashed down the hall.

"THIS IS ABSURD! I HAVE NEVER BEEN SO INSULTED IN MY LIFE! YOU CAN FORGET ABOUT ANY ALLIGIANCE WITH MY KINGDOM, THAT'S FOR SURE!"

Before either man could react, Sadiq's entourage clamoured out after him, still being pelted with various types of fruit, pasta, and whatever eating utensils were within arm's reach. And everything made a horrible kind of sense when a flurry of furious Italian streamed from the open doorway.

"_BASTARDO! CAZZO! LASCIARE PRIMA HO BATTUTO LA MERDA DA VOI!_"

"I-Is that Prince Lovino? What in the name of Allah happened _this_ time?" Ludwig groaned, not at all excited about the inevitable confrontation. He wondered bitterly why he was the one always left to deal with the damage of the young prince's episodes. Feliciano had slipped behind his most trusted guard at some point, clinging to his bare arm as he listened to the ranting.

"Ve, I told you! _Fratello_ got into a fight with our guest and then they started yelling and throwing plates at eachother! It would have been more fun if they weren't so scary and didn't waste so much good pasta!" Feliciano cowering behind him was a good indicator that it was going to be up to him to defuse the situation. Pinching the bridge of his nose, the blonde man sighed deeply, exasperated, then gently pushed his superior (what cruel irony that was) back and proceeded forward.

"Alright, just wait out here. I'll get him under control. Prince! Prince you need to stop this nonsense at once-" No sooner had Ludwig positioned himself in front of the doorway - attempting to look authoritarian and intimidating with his straight posture, hard muscles, and disapproving scowl - than some warm gooey mass collided hard with his face. The plate dropped to the floor with a clatter, leaving the man standing there in utter disgust at the thick sauce and wet, stringy noodles that clung to his face, neck, and shoulders. He nearly gagged at the overwhelming smell of tomato and exotic spices, making a mental note to scrub every inch of his upper body raw in the bath tonight.

Lovino, thankfully, ceased all movement upon recognizing the tall figure in the doorway. He stood there with an eggplant in hand, looking about ready to toss that too, but instead just stared blankly. He blinked once. Twice.

Then broke out into raucous laughter, dropping the fruit to clutch at his stomach with one hand and point with the other.

"HAHAHAHA! LOOK AT YOURSELF, POTATO-BASTARD! YOU REALLY CAN'T EAT, CAN YOU? YOU'RE A MESS!" It took every ounce of Ludwig's self-restraint to keep himself from snapping. As satisfying as it would be to just smack him around a little, this was one of his rulers. And he quite liked having his head attached to his neck.

"Prince, I must ask you to stop-"

"Ha ha, you look so stupid!"

"I realize you're under a lot of stress right now-"

"You look like you just jumped into a bowl of pasta like Feliciano or something!"

"Need I remind you that it is most unprofessional to-!"

"Do you eat like a DOG, potato-bastard? You clearly have no table manners!"

The next thing Feliciano heard as he lingered in the hall outside, nervously wringing his hands, was a feral cry and a slew of very harsh and offensive-sounding words in a language he vaguely recognized as the one Ludwig muttered when he was particularily irritated with his antics. This was immediately followed by the sounds of crashing and a startled yelp. He could practically see Ludwig chasing his frightened brother around the dining table.

"FELICIANO! FELICIANO CALL THIS POTATO-BASTARD OFF RIGHT NOW, HE'S GONE BERSERK!"

The Sultan frowned, eyes drifting from the door to the mess that had accumulated all over the floor of the hallway. Such a waste. And he was still so hungry, too. The young man sighed, shoulders slumping a little as he tip-toed through the carnage, past the dining hall (where he could see Lovino scrambling over the table just in time to dodge an airborne goblet), and towards the kitchen. It might be best just to make dinner himself tonight, he suspected. Maybe if he gave those two long enough to vent, they would settle down enough so that they could all enjoy a meal together for once.

At this thought, a bright smile found it's way back onto Feliciano's face. There was an extra skip in his step as he made his way down the hall, humming softly to himself and wondering what kinds of side dishes he'd make this time.

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><p><em>EVEN MORE GRATUITOUS ITALIAN. My attempts at including a little bit of various languages into the dialogue would probably be a lot more effective if I had more to rely on than Google Translate. I apologize to all those I offend andor disgust with my inevitable butchering of foreign tongues._

_That being said, I hope that this chapter was alright. I wanted to focus on the palace gang and their routine versus Antonio's and Gilbert's. Oh yes, and Elizaveta/Hungary will be taking the place of Raja. I'll definitely have to work on showing more of her character as the story progresses, because right now she feels very...bleh. Really hoping I didn't mess up Feli, Lovi, or Ludwig's personalities too much either. Overall, I'm just not a confident writer it seems... ._.;_

_Well thanks again! Stay tuned for the continuation and the return of Arthur!_

_Commentary is appreciated!_


	4. To Be Free

_Hey there guys! Wow, can you believe it's been a whole month since I last updated? Well that's just not gonna do at all. Inspiration, y u only hit me when I have exams? Anyway, I deeply apologize for the wait._

_I'm really not terribly happy with this chapter. It seems far too transitional and just...blah...considering how long it took to write out. Hopefully I can spice up the next chapter to make up for it but yeah. I'm just kind of glad to get this one out of the way._

_(EDIT: Now with 10% less grammatical error!)_

_Well, hope you enjoy it regardless. And now to answer some questions!_

_**Unknown Variable: **Sorry but I don't want to divulge too much about who all is going to be in the story. Takes away from the surprise~ But I can assure you Arthur and Francis have never met in the context of this story. As for if they'll antagonize eachother? Well they ARE Arthur and Francis. Also, unfortunately Sadiq has served his purpose and shall be moving on, so we won't being seeing anymore of him D: Sorry_

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><p><strong>-Chapter Four-<strong>

"WHY, in the name of all that is holy, is the hallway absolutely covered in this grotty filth?"

A familiar English accent alerted the Sultan to the man that had stepped into his kitchen, trying desperately to scrape the mushy remnants of some overlooked fruit off the bottom of his shoe with as much dignity as possible. Though his dark robes, pointed shoulders, and perpetual frown of disapproval would hint at an unfriendly - if not somewhat suspicious - character, Feliciano was quite certain that his Royal Vizier was one of the most trustworthy men under his employment. Because of this, he couldn't help but flash a bright smile at the blonde, turning from his tedious stirring of sauce at the counter to better face the man.

"Ve~ Arthur! I was wondering where you were. I feel like we haven't seen you in days!" The greeting was met by a small grunt of acknowledgement and a deliberate attempt to avoid direct eye contact. The journey back from the Cave of Wonders had taken significantly more time than he'd initially hoped, and along the way he'd nearly been robbed three times, molested twice, and got caught up in a conversation with an offputting fellow who kept asking him to become one (wait did that count as molestation?). Needless to say, he'd been busy.

"Y-Yes, well. I've had a lot of work lately." He dismissed the inquiry with a wave of his hand and reworded his own. "Evidently I can't focus _too_ much on that though, can I? I take my eyes of you lot for a second and the entire palace is thrown into bloody chaos." Feliciano blinked slowly, bringing a hand up to rub the back of his neck while he laughed sheepishly.

"Oh yeah. Sorry about that mess, ve. _Fratello_ had trouble getting along with his newest suitor. And Ludwig didn't really help in the end..." The young Sultan heaved a disheartened sigh as he recalled the dinner, worry beginning to weigh down his natural optimism. Somehow a small frown worked it's way onto his features, looking quite out of place in Arthur's opinion. Not that he cared. "Poor _fratello_ can't seem to make friends with any of them. Prince Sadiq was the fifth one this month! Ve~ I'm starting to think that we'll never find someone in time."

He turned back to stirring his sauce, appreciating the intoxicating scent of cooked spices that so easily melted away his cares. Feliciano really loved cooking. If nothing else, at least it provided a wonderful distraction from the stress of ruling a kingdom on a wing and a prayer. That was why he jumped at any opportunity to shoo the chefs away and monopolize the kitchen for himself. Arthur grunted, thoughtfully fingering the grooves of the lion's head sculpted into the top of his golden scepter.

"Prince Lovino certainly is a picky child. The most powerful kingdoms in the world offer themselves to him and he's not satisfied." He repressed a snort of whatever that emotion was between amusement and disdain. "I'll never understand the bloody-minded youth of today." Green eyes flashed briefly towards his superior. "No offense intended, your majesty."

Feliciano shook his head dismissively, predictably unphased by the criticism. He was far too permissive of casual conversation and insults, the Vizier observed. Certainly his grandfather, the previous Sultan, never would have allowed a jab like that at one of his beloved family members. Of course, he probably also would have smacked Prince Lovino good for conducting himself the way he usually did around their honored guests. Strict behavioral regulations had certainly gone out the window in the last few years. The younger man lifted the wooden spoon to his mouth, tasting the sauce and licking his lips while he considered the blend of flavors.

"Hmmm...needs more basil." he decided, humming happily to himself as he reached for a small cup of a ground up plant. Arthur eyed him curiously for a moment, the dark innerworkings of his mind temporarily on hold as his attention was drawn to the assortment of ingrediants and cooking utensils on the counter top. Looking uncharacteristically hopeful, he took a step forward, clearing his throat to call the Sultan's attention back to him.

"You've certainly got your hands full there, don't you lad?"

"Hm? Ah ha, yeah, I have to basically remake dinner after what happened, ve~. But I don't really mind. I enjoy cooking, especially for _Fratello_ and Ludwig!" The sickeningly sweet innocence in Feliciano's voice was promptly ignored by the blonde man, who moved up beside him, looming dangerously close.

"I see. Well, that's quite a bit for one person don't you think? Perhaps I can be of some assistance?" At the offer, the brunette froze, feeling his blood run cold and the color drain from his face. The last time Arthur lent his _assistance,_ half the palace guard had been bedridden with food poisoning for a week. Kiku barely escaped said fate because of his policy of politely declining to eat anything of a suspicious color (charcoal black was a suspicious enough color, in his opinion). Before Arthur could so much as pick up the scroll to read the recipe, Feliciano had batted his hand away, grabbed it up and clutched it protectively to his chest. Arthur's look of bewilderment was met with a loud, far-too-obviously-nervous laugh.

"Ha ha! Oh no no no, it's no trouble for me at all, ve! I'm almost done anyway, don't worry! I'm sure you've got lots of work to catch up on, I shouldn't distract you!" Feliciano's desperate (he was almost _crying_ for Allah's sake), not quite pleading momentarily stunned, and then quickly infuriated the self-proclaimed sorcerer. His thick brows twitched and his expression melted back into a hard frown while he worked to surpress the urge to just erupt into a string of creatively-worded curses. Even if the Sultan was lax, he still couldn't just flat-out verbally assault him.

No matter how offensive and ridiculous the implications about his cooking skills were. Honestly, at least everything he made wasn't smothered in fattening sauces and Lord, was it really too much to ask for something that _wasn't_ some form of pasta for once?

But no time for griping now. If he wasn't going to be allowed to share his superior culinary expertise, then it was back to business.

"As you wish, your majesty." The advisor reluctantly backed off, much to Feliciano's relief. He hmphed and turned his attention away, pretending to dust something off of his shoulder in an effort to appear nonchalant. "Well, in that case, before I go to tend to my own business, I feel obliged to inform you that I may have a solution to this mess with your brother." The younger man's interest was immediately peaked.

"Ve~ Really? You think you can help out? What's your idea, does it involve pasta?" Arthur narrowed his eyes again, unamused by what he prayed was only a joke (though it was doubtful).

"No, it doesn't involve pasta, I'm afraid. However, it does involve..." Grassy green eyes wandered downward, stopping in the middle of the Sultan's chest, where a small buldge indicated something hidden beneath the cloth. "That amber necklace you have on you." Feliciano blinked slowly, glancing downward. He set the scroll aside and brought a hand up to touch the spot curiously, then reached into his shirt and pulled out two necklaces that he kept tucked out of sight. One was a small, black, iron cross (he had to keep it safe with him, it was a birthday present from Ludwig back when he was still a prince!) and the other an impossibly old, golden chain with a glittering amber stone that he had been told matched his eyes perfectly.

"M-My amber necklace?"

"Yes, that's the one. I need that for my plan to work."

"Ve, but... But this is a precious heirloom. Grandpa gave it to me just before he... ..I can't just give it away, it was important to him!" Arthur was quickly becoming impatient. He didn't like wasting time with trivial sentiments. The elder man sighed and his grip tightened on the staff in his hand.

"I assure you, it will be more than worth the sacrifice. Don't you want to help your brother find a suitor?" Feliciano fidgetted uncertainly, biting his bottom lip and rolling the jewel around in his fingers, eyes locked firmly on his treasure. His last physical link to his grandfather. Well, besides a few of those old paintings they had done together, he supposed, but he couldn't really carry those around with him. He couldn't squeeze them in his palm when he was nervous or kiss them for good luck right before an important meeting or public address.

But then, what kind of ruler - what kind of _brother_ - would he be if he didn't try to help Lovino simply because he was so dependent on a little piece of jewelry? That was hardly fair, he realized. Still, he found himself caught up in deliberation.

"I...I don't know. Maybe...I have to think about it, ve. I'll let you know when I decide if I can really-"

The Vizier would tolerate no more of this pointless dancing around the matter. With a soft hiss, he thrust his scepter into the younger man's face, brown eyes instantly captivated by the red glow of the lion's gaze. A moment later and all the inner conflict and indecision faded from Feliciano's consciousness. His entire body became numb and he stared off, as though in a trance, muscles lax and protests nonexistant. Arthur huffed in irritation, but was at least satisfied with the reaction.

"That's enough dilly-dallying. Now then, you will give me your necklace. It is very important that I get it. You want to help your brother, right? It's for Prince Lovino."

"For _Fratello_...yes...I want to help, ve~..."

Slowly, without tearing his gaze away from that cat, Feliciano reached up and carefully removed the necklace. The blonde held out his hand, and he obediantly placed it in his palm. Arthur clutched his fingers around the stone, a triumphant smirk playing on his lips.

"That's a good boy. See, that wasn't so hard, was it?" He stuffed the necklace into the pocket of his vest and lowered his staff, though the spell was not broken right away. "Now then, why don't you go back to cooking? Everyone is still waiting, right?"

"Yes...I need to finish cooking, ve~ Can't keep them waiting." Arthur gently nudged him around and he robotically returned to his work with a dazed smile plastered across his face. "Need to finish~! They'll be really hungry, ve~"

Arthur was feeling pretty confident with his scheme as he turned to leave the kitchen, then paused mid-step and looked back for just a second. He peered around the room, stretching up on his tip-toes to see over the tops of the counters in search of any potential spies (really he should have done that before the whole hyponitizing the Sultan thing, but these details slip one's mind every now and then). Seeing no threat, he grinned slyly, turning back and sniffing at the spice-scented air. He dipped a finger into the sauce and gave it a taste, grimacing at the overpowering essence of tomatoes and peppers and all sorts of flavors he had simply grown sick of after having them again and again and again.

"Hmph. Still nowhere near as delicious as good old English food. But if you insist on forcing this down everyone's throats again..." He grabbed up a cup of some kind of red spice, looking at it carefully for a moment before dumping in about half the container. He also snatched a handful of some black grain, a bottle of an odd orange liquid, and a bit of some variety of plant (anything that was green couldn't be too bad for you, right?), tossing all that in as well. He allowed Feliciano to stir the concoction a bit more, then gave it another taste. The smell wasn't quite as pungent anymore, and the reduction of those distinctly Italian flavors was a welcome change. "Mm, much better." He licked his lips and nodded in approval, smiling to himself as he spun around on his heels and finally strolled out.

As he passed through the doorway, side-stepping the mess he'd left upon his entrance, Flying Mint Bunny emerged from the corner and perched itself upon his shoulder.

"_Did you get it, Master?_"

"Of course." Arthur chuckled quietly to himself, patting his chest lightly while he walked down the hall. "Had to use a bit of magic, but it wasn't really that hard. Now we can continue with our plan."

"_To find somebody who can enter the cave for us?_" He nodded.

"Exactly. Then, after we send that fool in, we'll have the lamp, and all the power in the universe shall be at my fingertips! I'll become ruler of this god forsaken desert and then ALL THE PEOPLE OF AGRABAH WILL EAT MY WONDERFUL CUISINE! I SHALL BAN ALL PASTAS FROM THE LAND AND IT WILL BE NOTHING BUT SCONES AND TEA FOR EVERYONE!" An evil cackle bubbled from Arthur's throat, and he threw his head back to revel in the sheer poetic justice of it all.

The rabbit shifted a little awkwardly, long ears twitching and beady eyes glancing off with something akin to embarassment.

"_Yes, yes. All in good time, Master. But maybe for now we should focus on just getting that lamp in the first place._" The laughter died down and Arthur reached up to pet his companion's head affectionately. A faint chuckle still lingered, eyes glinting ominously as he made his way towards his private study.

"Don't worry your fluffy little head. Everything will be coming together soon, just wait."

Meanwhile, Feliciano still continued to stir his pasta sauce, which had started to turn a thoroughly disturbing purple color. Unable to break from his trance just yet, the Sultan could only stand there helplessly and churn the bubbling contents, the smell causing him to sway ever-so-slightly on his feet.

The trauma of reawakening to the sight of his unsalvagable food a little less than an hour later would haunt him for many weeks to come.

* * *

><p>Some time later found Lovino wandering back into his bedchambers, fresh from a much-needed bath. With the food stains from his earlier rampage washed away and everything smelling like lilacs, the prince could finally just collapse ontop of his bed and relax. He fell face-first into the soft mattress, groaning tiredly and reflecting on how the night had gone so predictably wrong.<p>

He really hadn't meant to explode like that. He had tried to be somewhat civil - well civil by his standards - with that masked bastard. If only for Feliciano's sake. But then Sadiq just _had_ to go and start eyeing him like that! He really wished he could bawl Elizaveta out for forcing him into such ridiculously effeminate clothes all the time, but quite frankly she was fucking terrifying so he was kind of stuck. Over the course of their short meal and painfully formal conversation, offputting glances and not-so-subtle flirting had somehow evolved into confrontation and then an argument. Before anybody knew it, the Grand Dining Hall had turned into an elementary school lunchroom.

He felt a surge of pride at being able to drive the self-absorbed creeper off all by himself, but then that potato-bastard, Ludwig, had to interrupt his glorious victory. He even had the gall to totally fly off the handle for no reason and chase him around the room for about forty-five straight minutes. The fight had only ended when Elizaveta finally came in and more or less intimidated them into submission while brandishing a frying pan.

Feliciano had returned not long after, bearing food and a strange story about apparently falling asleep while cooking or something. How he'd managed that, nobody was sure, but the mention of kind of blacking out for a bit while still on his feet stirred some concern. They were assured he was fine, however, and that he had managed to improvise at the last minute so they could all enjoy a late, tense meal together.

Lovino sighed weightedly, turning over onto his back and staring up at the overhanging canopy of his bed. It had been a while, he realized, since he really enjoyed the masterful cooking of the royal chefs or, on occation, his younger brother. It just seemed so mundane anymore. The prince hadn't really minded it when he was growing up. Living in the lap of luxury, getting whatever he wanted whenever he wanted, forcing the palace staff to bend to his every whim and fancy - he had revelled in it as a spoiled child is prone to do. But as he got older, more mature, more self-aware, belting out orders and being waited on hand and foot was no longer so thrilling.

Day in and day out, the same routine over and over again with no real sign of change.

It had only gotten worse with the passing of his grandfather. He hadn't been particularily close to him (not nearly as close as Feliciano, who was practically glued to the man's side) but it was still a difficult loss, and ultimately resulted in Feliciano inheriting the throne (which _had_ to be pure favoritism because Lovi was the oldest) and the subsequent rift that developed between the two. Now he was bored and _lonely._

"Shit." Lovino grunted and pushed himself up quickly, getting back on his feet and shedding his bath robes to change into more comfortable night clothes. He really hated when he started to think too much.

And why did all his inner thoughts make him sound like a whiney little girl? He was a man! Men didn't complain about things like that!

Once properly dressed, he punched one of his fluffier pillows for good measure before wandering out onto the balcony again. As breathtaking as Agrabah was in the daytime, Lovino personally believed it was even more beautiful under a blanket of stars. The cool darkness, the sense of peace and serenity, the way the moonlight hit the landscape to bask everything in an ethereal glow. There was something so mysterious and magical about it all, and even though he imagined the streets to be significantly more dangerous in the midnights hours, that potential for excitement only added to the allure.

What he'd give to just-

The prince was drawn out of his thoughts by the distant echo of voices in the courtyard below. Folding his arms and leaning his top half onto the rail, he peered downward to see a pair of guards wandering past. They were out on their usual rounds, and though they really were supposed to stay vigilant they seemed more interested in idle banter. Lovino snorted quietly, narrowing his eyes as he watched them slowly make their way across his line of vision.

He had spent so many hours just sitting out there with nothing else to do that he had actually memorized the patrols. It was an observation made purely out of boredom and had absolutely nothing to do with that rumored assassination attempt a few months ago that never even happened (it wasn't like he'd been paranoid or anything). Regardless, he was able to time it down to a tee, and even remembered who generally took what shifts. As if to prove this point to himself, he predicted Vash and Roderich along in exactly ten minutes.

Sure enough, ten minutes and thirty-two seconds later (close enough), the quietly bickering pair of guards turned the corner and made their way through the otherwise empty grounds. Lovino smirked in accomplishment, musing to himself just how easy it would be to get past all of the palace's security with the amount of knowledge he had. All the posts, the patrol routes, the irresponsible tendancies of the far-too-easily distracted staff. Really, Ludwig and Kiku were the only two people he would have to worry about, and they usually turned in soon after dinner since they were on duty before sunrise. Yep, just slip downstairs, weave through the corridoors, across the courtyard, and over the wall before anybody even realized anything was amiss. Allah help those hapless nobles if he were a thief out to raid the Royal Treasurey.

Wait, he'd just described an escape scenerio, not a break-in. Well, same principles applied.

An escape scenerio...

The prince shifted to lean forward more, his eyes scanning the courtyard with renewed interest. He could feel his chest flutter wildly, the mere consideration of such an idea making his insides twist and tense eagerly.

He could do it.

If he waited just long enough, if he planned carefully enough, if he took all the right factors into account...

This certainly wasn't the first time he'd thought about it, but it was definitely the first time he'd seriously considered going through with it. He had tried before to convince himself to at least attempt running away. That maybe he could just take off for a day or two and come back, fresh as a daisy and finally content with life. He realized, however, that once he got a taste of that freedom there was no way he'd be able to force himself back into the dull routine he was currently stuck in. It didn't feel right to leave permanently, though. Who would Feliciano have if he wasn't around? What if something serious happened and they needed his help? How much would they miss him when he was gone?

All these excuses kept Lovino attached to this wretched place. Yet, in the short time that Feliciano had taken over the duties of the Sultan, the harsh reality of the situation had utterly crushed those reasons.

Who would Feliciano have if he wasn't around?

_Ludwig, Kiku, Elizaveta, Arthur, and anybody else in the palace because everyone loved Feliciano._

What if they needed his help?

_They never did and likely never would. What use could he be anyway? He didn't really do anything around here as it was._

How much would they miss him when he was gone?

_Probably not at all, honestly._

This epiphany, he realized, really should have depressed him more than it actually did. Instead, it gave him an incredible sense of relief. He wasn't needed. He didn't have to be here. Who knows, maybe they would all even be better off without him hanging around, taking up space and causing trouble.

And in the end, that was all the justification that Lovino needed to finally make his decision.

The easy part had been planning and packing. He had already more or less formulated the escape route in his head over the past few years, and despite being obscenely wealthy he really didn't have too many possessions that he simply could not do without. Finding clothing that wasn't too flashy or brightly colored was a bit more of a challenge, but he eventually settled on a nice brown top with matching pants and a dark green scarf long enough to wrap around his head and shoulders to create a make-shift hood. With a pouch filled with a small fortune strapped to his waist and a small dagger tucked away beneath his sash (just in case), he felt ready to go and ridiculously cool.

However, before he could leave his old life behind, he felt it was only right to bid it a proper farewell. So he sat down with a piece of parchment to write a quick goodbye letter. This proved far more difficult than originally anticipated.

_Attention Idiot Sultan._ Scribbled out.

_Stupid Little Brother._ Scribble scribble.

_Dear Little Brother._ Violently scratched out, crumpled up, and tossed away.

_Feliciano,_

Shit, now what to say? These might be the last words his brother would hear (see) from him for a while. He should make them meaningful. Or at least polite.

Just because Feliciano was so sensitive and sentimental and all.

Reading over the finished product, the prince was stunned that it had taken as long as it did to write so little. By the time he'd furiously scribbled through four drafts, and shortened a long and flowery drabble down to the bare minimum, it was nearly dawn.

Panicked, he folded up his note and tucked it under his pillow before hurriedly slipping out into the hall. With impressive agility, he made his way through the halls, slinking about in the shadows and ducking around corners. Arriving at one of the doorways that lead out into the courtyard, he waited with baited breath as the next pair of guards slowly made their way past. When they turned the corner, out of sight, he dashed across the yard and to the large, slightly twisted tree that stood against the wall which surrounded the whole structure. The higher branches stretched past the top, and with a bit of creative shimmying he was able to hoist himself up.

For the first time in Lovino's young life, he peered over the wall that had towered above his head for so long. The ground below was deceptively unremarkable, but the prince felt a rush of joy at the sight, practically able to hear his heart pounding away in his chest. Shifting his position, he flung his legs over the edge and took one last look back at the place he called home.

He wasn't sure what to expect from here on out. He was rushing head-long into the unknown with no real plan in mind. New people, new rules, new experiences.

A whole new world awaited him beyond this barrier. Whatever happened, he was ready to face it. Taking a breath to steady his nerves, the brunette turned forward and pushed himself off of the wall.

Only to realize that the ground felt much harder after a ten-foot drop.

"_OW! FUCK!_"

* * *

><p>"Loviiii~! Rise and shine, morning's here!"<p>

Elizaveta knocked twice on Lovino's chamber doors before peeking inside with a far-too-cheerful-for-this-early smile. The lump on the bed did not respond to her call, prompting her to step inside. Coming up beside the bed, she sighed and watched the still unmoving figure with a quiet fondness.

"Come on, Lovi. Breakfast will be ready soon." the woman attempted to coax, but to no avail, "Oh, and we just got word that a new suitor will be arriving tomorrow morning, so we've got a lot of preparations to make!"

When the silence persisted, Elizaveta leaned down and gently touched his side to try and rouse him. When her hand sunk into a soft material instead of meeting firm muscle, she retracted, momentarily alarmed. Confused, she drew the blankets back to reveal a carefully stacked pile of pillows in place of her prince.

"L-Lovi?"

Thoroughly bewildered, the maidservant took a sweeping glance around the room. In all her years of service, she had never once seen Prince Lovino up and about before she came to get him. He just wasn't a morning person. And surely, if he was awake, he would have made his presence known by now. The older brother always made a point of commanding attention wherever he went, perhaps to make up for being ignored by everyone else outside the palace. But she hadn't seen him wandering around the grounds or heard him throwing out lazy insults from across the hall (too tired to give the biting words his full, passionate fury).

So the question remained. Where had he gotten to?

Puzzled, but not yet concerned, she began to tidy up the young man's bedding - a rather compulsive action. As she rearranged the pillows, spreading them out neatly just the way he liked them, her eyes were drawn to a bit of paper that poked out from underneath one of the pillows. Carefully, she pulled it out, unfolding what appeared to be a letter. She took another quick look around the room to make sure nobody saw her snooping, then scanned the text with interest.

Hey, if Lovino wanted to keep something like that so secret, he would have done a better job of hiding it.

However, as she read through the contents, Elizaveta's mild amusement quickly turned to horror. Her stomach dropped and her face paled as she reread the letter again and again and again, unable to fully comprehend it's meaning.

_I know this is kind of short notice and all, but I'm leaving. By the time you read this, I'll be living it up out in the real world and (there's nothing you can do about it!) I don't want you to worry about me. You've got your own shit to deal with, so focus on that. I know how to take care of myself._

_Maybe when I'm not too busy being a badass adventurer/explorer/dashing-young-rogue-all-the-ladies-swoon-over, I'll write to you and let you know how things are going. Until then, make sure you keep yourself out of trouble! And don't let that potato-eating bastard take advantage of you either, I mean it! A few good slaps to the face every now and then keeps 'em in line!_

_Oh, and tell Elizaveta thanks for taking care of me and all, and that I really appreciate everything she did for me (even if she is a perverted psycho bitch)._

_Love _scratched out to the point where it was barely legible.

_See you around, Lovino_

By the end of her third run through, the woman's hands were trembling slightly. Finally managing to tear her gaze away from the parchment, her head snapped up towards the balcony. The curtain swayed gently, letting in a breeze which wafted through the room that now seemed terrifyingly empty.

"I have to tell Feliciano!" Without a second more of hesitation, Elizaveta darted for the door, the paper in her hand clutched close to her chest in a futile effort to calm her racing heart.

It wasn't long after the discovery that the entire palace erupted into utter madness. Fortunately, by then, the missing royal heir in question was long gone.

* * *

><p><em>ARTHUR'S EVIL INTENTIONS ARE FINALLY REVEALED! GOD HELP US ALL.<em>

_Fun fact: Did you know that amber was one of the favorite precious stones among the ancient Roman Empire? They even built the Amber Route to transport it from production centers like Gdansk to cities all over the empire. Amber is also said to have special metaphysical properties which (among other things) facilitate family bonding, bring good fortune, help with judicial matters, soothe grief, and enhance artistic qualities. (Google is fun, isn't it?)_

_By the by, I wanted to incorporate some English slang into Arthur's dialogue to make him more...Britishy I guess? It is inconceivable how many different phrases the English have to refer to inappropriate parts of human anatomy. Arthur, you naughty boy, Alfred would be shocked (and probably a little bit proud)._

_Well onto the next installment! I'll try to have it up within the next couple weeks at the most. Thanks for being so patient and thank you a bajillion times more for all the incredible comments and support!_

_ALSO, SUPER FUN TIME BONUS NEXT CHAPTER FOR ALL YOU AWESOME-TASTIC READERS WHO STICK AROUND~!_


	5. Street Urchins

_HELLOOOOO OUT THERE MY AMAZING AND PATIENT AND SUPER DUPER TOTALLY AWESOME READERS._

_Oh God, I'm so sorry. I'm sure I've lost a good chunk of readers by now, since I haven't updated in UNREASONABLY CLOSE TO A YEAR. Unfortunately I've had a lot happen and I kinda needed to step away from writing for a while. Not only that, but my Hetalia muse just COMPLETELY abandoned me and it's only recently that I regained enough ambition to continue this. I CANNOT apologize enough to you guys who really like the story, and I'm going to do my best to update it more frequently from now on. The writing gods are not kind to me... But you guys are awesome. It's feedbak from you guys that lights a fire under me and pushes me to not leave this unfinished._

_Now then, as for questions. _

_**TwistedRoses132:** If you're still out there! I believe I've had this question before, about whether or not Alfred would make an appearance, and I guess it's alright if I let this one detail slip. Lol, don't worry, America is my favorite character, honestly, so I always want him to pop up in stories too. Unfortunately, I couldn't really find a place for him, so as of right now he's only scheduled to make a very minor cameo at the end of the story. However, you'll find quite a few other misc characters scattered throughout Agrabah, so see how many you can recognize! (Hint: It will probably be very obvious because subtlety isn't my thing)_

_Now then. I'll warn you guys right now this chapter is about twice as long as the last, going from page count. It was originally obscenely longer, but I need a bit more time to fine-tune my character interactions so I had to cut it off a little early. I'm working on the next and hopefully that'll be done pretty quick here._

_SO! Without further ado, please enjoy the long long long awaited new chapter!_

* * *

><p><strong>-Chapter Five-<strong>

The marketplace was an almost overwhelming experience. Lovino was not unaccustomed to _seeing_ so many people, but to actually be walking among them like a normal citizen was entirely different. The noise, the chatter, the shouting venders, the pure life and energy that bustled through the crowded streets. It was everything the prince had dreamed of and more.

He could smell grilling meat and freshly caught fish. He could hear laughter and normal conversation amongst friends and neighbors. He could feel the wind whip dirt and sand past his feet and the sun beat down from its midday position in the sky. There were live animals and carts of food too cheap to keep in the palace kitchen and street performers who danced on beds of nails or swallowed fire and _nobody was bowing or forcing smiles for his sake._

It was the single most amazing place Lovino had ever gotten lost in.

In spite of having no idea where he was or what to do with himself, the young man seemed perfectly content to wander about the so-much-bigger-in-person city for the time being. He would have to find shelter soon, he knew. As soon as Feliciano realized he'd run away, the city would be swarming with guards. He was pretty sure he could outsmart most of them, but it never hurt to play it safe.

The prince was suddenly startled out of his thoughts when a weight collided with his side, causing the man to stumble slightly. As an automatic reflex, he hissed and turned to snap at whoever had been so careless.

"Hey! Watch it!"

But the annoyance quickly faded away at the sight before him. A young boy stepped back from him, sandy blonde hair matted and dirty. He turned his head up slowly to meet Lovino's gaze with wide, dark blue eyes and-oh god, those eyebrows. They weren't _quite_ as thick, but they bore an eerie resemblance to the Royal Vizier's.

Could Arthur have some secret commoner honeys hidden away? No...No he was much too uptight and fussy to be getting laid on a regular basis.

"Oh, sorry sir! I wasn't looking where I was going." Lovino's outrage was no match for those kicked puppy dog eyes, so he just huffed a sigh and looked away indignantly.

"L-Look, it's fine. Just pay attention next time! Now beat it, kid." The boy smiled up at him, nodding before taking off down the street again.

"Same to you, sir!" He could be heard snickering not so discreetly as he hurried away. Lovino just watched after him with a puzzled expression. Why was he laughing? Commoners were a little strange.

Did his waist feel lighter?

Peter was grinning devilishly as he weaved through the wide streets, cradling the plump purse in his hands. The innocent little boy act hadn't been quite as effective since he'd gained a reputation among the marketplace regulars, but the blonde had a feeling his latest sucker definitely wasn't from around here.

Success was even sweeter when he realized just how heavy the pilfered sack was. He relished the weight and the satisfying jiggle of coins inside. It made him feel a touch less guilty as well. If this was that guy's idea of walking-around-money, he obviously had plenty more at home. Why not spread the wealth a little?

"HEY! YOU THIEVING LITTLE BRAT! GET BACK HERE!"

The man's voice bellowed with impressive volume over the rest of the crowd, followed by quick footsteps. Peter glanced back to see the man barreling towards him, nearly knocking over a few other people in the process. The boy yelped and sped up, rushing down the road and ducking around as many people and carts as he could in an effort to lose him.

Shoot, he hadn't counted on him being observant enough to notice right away!

The chase continued for another minute or so, under a few overpasses and past several vendors, cutting through alleyways and around a street performer or two. Lovino had come this close to getting his head sliced off by a man juggling swords. Finally, an unfortunately placed camel brought the child to an abrupt halt and the brunette managed to catch up, grabbing him by the back of his shirt and lifting him up off his feet. He was looking frazzled and furious, and at some point his hood had fallen off, but the royal heir could hardly care less at the moment.

"What do you think you're doing, you fuzzy-browed little bastard? How dare you swipe my purse like that! Hand it over right now or I'll show you some of the discipline your parents clearly haven't!" The boy struggled in his grasp, kicking and clutching the purse close to his chest.

"Put me down, jerkface! I don't know what you're talking about, I didn't steal anything!" He stuck out his tongue defiantly.

"Oh don't give me that, you've got it right in your hands! I know it's mine, it has very distinct stitching! Now fork it over, kid!" Lovino held out his hand to emphasize his demand, but the boy simply shook his head in refusal.

"My name isn't KID! It's Peter! P-E-T-E-R! Stupid jerk!"

"Why you little-" The young prince was quite tempted to verbally abuse the bajeezus out of the uppity little brat, but then his ears started burning and he became acutely aware of the hushed whispers and uncomfortable glances being tossed their way. Suddenly, Lovino was feeling a bit self-conscious and exposed. He really shouldn't be drawing all this attention to himself, he realized. With both frustration and awkward caution, he let the boy down, but kept a tight grasp on his shirt. Peter was rather bewildered himself, and thus stopped squirming for the time being. The older male grunted and leaned down to the younger's eye level, staring at him with a firm expression.

"Look, ki-Peter. You can't just steal from people, you're going to get an ear lobbed off that way!" If the descriptions he'd heard of just how violent those bandits could be were anything to go by, at least.

"But it's not fair!" Peter protested, glaring up at the man stubbornly. "My father works just as hard as anybody-no, WAY harder-and we barely make enough to get by! What do you need all this for, huh? You probably have loads of money at your house, so just let us have this!"

"at my house..." Lovino barely restrained a groan. It was true, technically speaking, and he felt a small sense of guilt gnawing at his insides. He tried to shake it off, though, and returned to being authoritative. "Actually, I don't have a home anymore. I'm sort of a drifter now, so that's all the money I have to live off of, thank you very much."

At this, Peter's resolve softened a little and he appeared genuinely stunned. A contemplative silence passed between the two, during which the blue-eyed boy turned his gaze away and tried very hard not to look like he felt bad. He shouldn't, he reasoned, because it was this guy's own fault if he wasn't smart enough to keep pickpockets at bay. But his mother probably wouldn't approve of him stealing from somebody who didn't even have a steady income (of course, his parents didn't really approve of his little hobby regardless, but that was besides the point). With a reluctant sigh, he handed the purse back over, knowing he would be kicking himself for being such a good samaritan later.

"I guess a clueless guy like you needs it more than me anyway. You'll probably be broke by the end of the week." Lovino twitched slightly, narrowing his eyes a little but taking the purse back and finally releasing the boy's shirt.

"I'll be nice and ignore that this time." The prince stood up straight again, and Peter turned to walk away, dejected, when Lovino called out. "Hey, hold up. I wanna give you something." Shoulders slumped, the boy looked back with mild curiousity.

"Aw, what is it, jerkface? I have to get home."

"Here, take this with you." The boy's demeanor brightened as soon as the coins spilled into his palms. He gaped at his hands for a moment, then turned his shock up at Lovino, who wore a broad smirk.

"A-Are you for real? This is a lot...You're not just going to send officers after me and say I stole it, are you?" His own face became suspicious, and Lovino couldn't help but chuckle, feeling a certain smugness.

"Just take it and scram, you little brat. And stay out of trouble." Peter hesitated, then carefully pocketed the offering and flashed a grateful smile.

"Thank you. I guess you're not a _total _jerkface." Waving briefly, the boy hurried off once again, leaving the former prince to watch after him with a small huff and a subtle smile.

"Yeah, same to you, brat!" With a 'hmph', the young man pulled his hood back over his head, readjusting his coin pouch and taking a wary look around to make sure no guards had spotted him. Then continued off to explore the city further. It occured to Lovino that he should probably ask for directions soon. It was getting late in the morning, and he didn't want to risk running into a familiar face.

"Let's try here! We haven't checked down this street yet!"

Speak of the wurst-munching devil.

Lovino cursed under his breath, turning to see Ludwig making his way towards him with the ever-quiet Kiku in toe. Both were alert and scanning the citizens carefully, pausing for half a second every now and then when they caught a glimpse of some potential clue. Luckily, they hadn't yet appeared to notice him. The rogue prince felt his chest tighten with a sense of urgency and, without a second thought, he slunk into the darkest alleyway he could find within a ten yard radius. Unlike the ones he had chased Peter through, this ended in a stone wall, which worked out perfectly because the young man could press himself all that more effectively into the shadows. He watched the opening tensely, holding his breath, afraid that the smallest noise might give him away.

Finally, after what felt like hours (when in reality, it probably wasn't even a couple of minutes), the pair of guards wandered by. Ludwig didn't even glance his way, and he almost sighed with relief. Almost. Kiku, hearing the faint sound of something shifting against stone, paused and turned his head just slightly to peer into the darkness. Lovino felt his heart jump and he sucked in his breath again, pursing his lips tightly together and willing himself to sink into the wall behind him.

His heart beat once. Twice. Three times - shit, why was it so unbelievably loud? It sounded like a drumline in his ears!

Kiku hesitated, then took a step towards him. Lovino thought he was going to have a heart attack. But then.

"Kiku, move it! I think I just saw him headed towards one of the inns!" The black-haired man blinked and glanced back out into the street, then into the shadows once more before pulling back and continuing after his comrade.

"I'm coming..!"

Lovino waited until he was sure the footsteps had faded away and became indistinguishable amongst the dull roar of voices and clatter, then heaved a huge sigh and leaned heavily against the wall. He tilted his head back, a nervous laugh escaping his throat. He'd never been so grateful to that stupid potato bastard in his life. Not that he'd be thanking him anytime soon.

"Shit, that was a close call. I'd definitely better find somewhere to hide out before those assholes catch up to me again!" However, just as Lovino pulled himself up and started forward, the light that poured in from the street was obstructed by another figure. Or rather, three figures.

"Well well, it seems like you're in a bit of trouble, aru!"

The brunette looked up in confusion at the trio of dark-haired individuals blocking his only exit. A short young man in the front, with a black ponytail and almost golden eyes, who wore a broad, confident smirk. On either side of him were two other men. One had wild, windblown hair and a wayward curl (not unlike his own), and seemed like he could barely contain his energy with the way he was bouncing on his heels. The other was the complete opposite, with neat, flat hair and a blank stare that rivaled Kiku's in apathy. Lovino opened his mouth to try and reply, but before he could speak the bubbly one interrupted him.

"I bet it's cause you stole all that money! Right? Right? That's a lot for a drifter to be carrying around! Bet you swiped it off a noble when he wasn't looking!" He made this accusation with a bright grin, and Lovino wasn't really sure whether he ought to be annoyed or concerned.

"If that's the case," the man in the middle (probably the leader, he deduced) cut in, folding his arms and letting his head loll to the side with a predatory smirk, "then we'd be more than happy to take that contraband off of your hands, aru."

"I didn't steal anything. This is _my_ money." Lovino insisted with a grunt, trying to ignore the sense of forboding and the little voice in the back of his head yelling at him to get out of there because something was about to go down. "Now fuck off, I have places to be!" He started forward, but came to a stop when the trio began to advance on him. He drew a breath, stepping back again, trying to keep distance between them.

"Well then, we should try and make this quick, aru! Wouldn't want to hold you up or anything." Before he knew it, the ponytailed man was in front of him, extending a hand. "Just hand over the money and we'll be on our way, aru."

"I said _fuck off_ you weird, ponytailed bastard!" Lovino spat, knocking his hand away (a rather bold move in his own opinion) and struggling to keep his so far composed demeanor from melting into the steadily growing fear he felt beneath the surface. How dare they attempt to rob the Prince of Agrabah! Granted, they had no idea who he was, but still. Suddenly, he recalled the precautioun he'd hid away under his sash for just such an occation. He reached for his side, but before he could even grasp the handle, a pair of impractically long sleeves had slipped under his arms and restrained him.

"Whoops! Not so fast there!" He hadn't even seen that stupidly happy-looking minion move, yet somehow he was behind him, holding the fugitive up against his chest. Somehow, the assailant managed to snake one hand into his sash and pulled out the small dagger, revealing the weapon to his superior before tossing it carelessly to the ground. "No fair, pulling out weapons on unarmed people, even if they are robbing you! You have to play by the rules, right _Aniki_?"

"I told you to call me Yao, aru. And good eye, Yong Soo." The leader granted a compliment, but it seemed begrudging. He turned to the third member, who had remained deathly silent during the whole exchange. "Jia Long, pick that up. It looks nice. We might be able to get something for it as well, aru." Jia Long nodded and quietly retrieved the dagger, while the elder of the three turned his gaze back up to Lovino, who was now frantically struggling against Yong Soo's grip - to no avail, unfortunately.

"S-Sonovabitch! Give that back, you asshole! That's mine! And let me go! You're squeezing too tight and you smell like rotting fish!"

"Hey, that's not nice! I don't smell like rotting fish! Do I, _Aniki_?" Yong Soo screwed up his face with indignation, looking up at Yao for confirmation.

"Be silent, aru." The elder paid him no real mind, instead reached out to carefully remove the purse from Lovino's waist. After a moment, he pulled back again, successful, and stuffed the treasure into his oversized sleeve with a triumphant smile. "There, that wasn't so bad, was it aru?"

"Girly-looking bastard! Give that BACK!" Lovino punctuated his sentence with a kick at the man's legs, but it was effortlessly avoided. Yao responded by roughly grabbing Lovino's jaw and shoving his head back against Yong Soo more, holding him just tight enough to prevent the young man from crying out.

"Hmph! You kids today, you don't have any manners, aru!" Yao scowled, leaning far too close to the prince's face for comfort. "We've been very courteous through this whole process compared to most people. Maybe we should do something to remind you to cooperate next time...something to keep you from spouting such rude language, aru." A sinister smirk curled his lips, golden brown eyes glinting mischeviously. "Maybe you'll keep that in mind if we slice off the tip of your tongue with your own blade, aru?"

Lovino could swear his heart stopped just then. His face paled and his eyes widened, unable to hide the painfully obvious fear anymore. Oh God, these bandits really _were_ as evil and bloodthirsty as Ludwig had claimed. Speaking of which, where was that bastard when he actually needed him? Maybe he could call for help. Maybe if he told them who he was, who his brother was, they'd back off and let him alone (nobody wanted to get on the Sultan's badside afterall, and what better way to earn a death sentence than to attack the Prince of Agrabah?). It was a degrading thought, and Lovino hated himself for feeling so desperate in that moment, but frankly he'd rather be humiliated than lose an organ...or worse.

"The blood stains would probably significantly decrease the value of the dagger." Jia Long interrupted his panicked thoughts. He had finally allowed himself to speak, but his dark eyes wandered away from the scene, lost in indifference.

"Besides," Yong Soo piped up, just jumping right into the conversation, "I thought _Aniki_ said that sort of thing was unsanitary. That it totally grosses you out, right?" Yao flinched slightly, taken aback as his legs were more or less cut out from under him by his companion's casual words. He hissed and cast a glare at the both of them, twitching profusely and heaving a sigh of exasperation.

"_Aiya!_ You two are impossible, aru! How am I supposed to sound threatening when you won't take this stuff seriously, aru?"

In his outrage, Yao had taken his hand off of the prince's jaw, and Lovino was just about to scream - NO. Not scream. Screaming is what women did. - give a very manly shout for help when a melon exploded against the back of the short leader's head, making him stumble and crash into the dirt below. Not even a split second later, two halves of another melon were soaring through the air, one splattering all over Yong Soo's face while the other was knocked away by a well-timed kick from Jia Long.

In the confusion, Yong Soo had dropped Lovino, who was too stunned to do more than sit on the ground and gape towards the alleyway's entrance. Towards a strange-looking pair of men who had appeared right out of thin air. Towards the people he prayed would be his saviors, and not a whole new kind of trouble.

"Have no fear, mysterious assassin guy! Your super awesome rescue team is here!"

* * *

><p>Sunrise brought a new morning to the city of Agrabah, and with it breakfast time. Amidst a bustling marketplace, a figure settled comfortably atop a small building. Gilbert leaned his top half against the raised ledge, watching the activity below as he munched idly on part of a melon. The smaller half was sitting beside him, being pecked at by a hungry little ball of yellow fluff. Red eyes scanned the throng of random citizens with mild interest, half searching for the form of his tan-skinned partner in crime. A light rattling sound from the other end of the roof told Gilbert that somebody was making their way up the wooden ladder that rested on the side of the structure, prompting his attention to turn that way.<p>

"Hey, took you long enough!" The albino tossed a good-natured grin at his friend, who was climbing up into view with just the smallest bit of difficulty. He had a melon of his own tucked under his arm, forcing him to go a little slower than usual, but eventually setting foot on the rooftop and meandering over to sit at Gilbert's side with that sunshiney smile plastered across his face.

"_Lo siento, mi amigo!_ I was hoping to find that tomato vendor again, but no such luck. Ah well, a meal is a meal, _si_?" Gilbert just rolled his eyes and snickered knowingly to himself, taking another bite and savoring the sweet, tangy flavors in his mouth.

"Tomatoes for breakfast? Really? You ever think maybe you have a problem, Tonio?"

"The only problem that can ever come from a tomato is that there is never enough of them!" Antonio insisted. To which his friend scoffed.

"Yeah, that and getting the royal guard on your ass! Serves you right, of course, being so careless kesese."

"I'll have you know that was a fluke! I wasn't being careless, the shop keeper was just abnormally observant!"

"Oooh, _abnormally observant._ Using big words today, are we?"

"Shut up!" The spaniard elbowed his still laughing companion in the side, huffing with indignation before letting his eyes wander over the edge of the building. "Speaking of the guards though, have you had any trouble with them today?" Gilbert blinked curiously, taking another bite and looking up thoughtfully.

"Now that you mention it," he mumbled inbetween chewing, "not really. I saw a bunch of them earlier. At first I thought they didn't notice me because of my awesome stealthiness, but they seemed like they were busy with something else." Antonio nodded in understanding, having had much the same experience during his morning ritual of scavenging food.

"I practically swiped this right out from under Ludwig's nose and he didn't bat an eye! It seems like there's a whole lot more of them on the streets today too, doesn't there? Something must be going on."

"Maybe someone threatened to assasinate the Sultan again!" Gilbert suggested, looking far more excited by the prospect than would generally be deemed appropriate. Antonio gave him a somewhat disapproving look, but then shrugged and simply shifted his focus to balancing his still uneaten melon on his propped up knee.

"That's not very nice, Gil. But hey, with them all preoccupied, it makes things easier for us, _si_?" He hummed cheerfully, that bright grin returning. Just as he prepared to break the fruit open and finally get started on his breakfast, a commotion erupted from the street below, drawing both their interest.

"_HEY! YOU THIEVING LITTLE BRAT! GET BACK HERE!_"

Gilbert craned his neck to have a look, Gilbird hopping up onto his shoulder with a soft squeak. Antonio set his melon aside and crawled closer to the ledge to peer over the edge.

"Hm? What's all that noise?"

"Dunno. Sounds like somebody's in trouble, though."

It took a moment to actually catch sight of them, but eventually their eyes locked on two people coming down the street rather quickly. In front was a small blonde boy, clutching something to his chest as he twisted around carts and slipped between shoppers. Not too far behind, his pursuer was taking a more direct route, cutting right through the masses and leaving a string of unintelligible curses in his wake. At some point his green hood flew off, revealing a young man with dark hair, probably just a bit younger than either of themselves.

"Ah, that _chico_...isn't that Berwald's kid?" Antonio observed, blinking curiously. Gilbert tilted his head to the side, trying to get a better look.

"Hey, yeah, I think it is. Phil...Paul...something like that?"

"Peter." Antonio corrected, "I don't think I've seen that other person before, though." Suddenly, the boy staggered to a stop to avoid ramming face-first into a camel, and the unknown man caught up to him, roughly grabbing him up off of his feet and shouting furiously. The green-eyed man felt his protective instincts flare up and he began to push himself to his feet. "Looks like he's in trouble. _Vamos, amigo mio_!"

"Hold up a second." Much to his surprise, the white-haired man grabbed the back of his vest and tugged him back down, pushing his head beneath the ledge so that they were more hidden.

"G-Gil! What's the matter with you? That mean guy might try to hurt him!" Antonio sputtered, pushing the other man's hands off of him and trying to sit up, only to be jerked down again.

"As awesome as it would be to swoop in and save the day like a pair of badass superheroes, I don't think we need to. Settle down and watch, you spazz." Antonio grunted quietly, narrowing his eyes a little before turning them back to the scene below. At some point during their conversation, the stranger had let Peter back down and seemed to be scolding him in a more subdued voice that was too muffled by distance and background noise for them to distinguish.

The darker-skinned street urchin felt his insides calm and he allowed himself to cautiously relax, though remained vigilant just in case. He studied the stranger up and down, trying to detect any potential threat. He was definitely young - probably somewhere between seventeen and twenty was his best guess. It was difficult to make out his form under those baggy robes, but based off of that face, Antonio could imagine he was slim (though not underfed). Speaking of that face, he had a wonderful complexion. It was obvious from the clean, unblemished skin and the pretty, nicely groomed hair (it looked like it would be so soft to the touch) that he was well-taken care of. And those eyes. Those fiery golden eyes were so wide and lively and captivating.

He wasn't sure when he came to the realization that his cheeks felt warm, because he was only barely paying attention to anything else around him. He couldn't help being distracted, though. That stranger, he was so...

So...

_Cute_.

"Dude, what's the matter with you?" Antonio snapped out of his reverie to the sight of Gilbert staring at him like he had beetles crawling out of his ears. He laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck with a sheepish smile.

"_Lo siento_, were you saying something? I wasn't listening."

"Yeah, I know." The other thief grunted, raising a brow. "No, I didn't say anything, but you're just staring off into space with that stupid love sick puppy dog look on your - Oh my God Tonio, _really_?" Antonio pulled back a little, confused.

"What did I do?" Gilbert just gave him an incredulous look, honestly unable to believe that his hapless friend was capable of being so cliche as to fall victim to _Love at First Sight_. Well, no, he could believe it he supposed. Still, he was quite disappointed.

"Oh come on! You know the awesome me is cool with you liking guys, but you don't even _know_ him!"

"W-What? I didn't say anything!"

"You didn't have to, you were oggling him like a piece of meat. For God's sake, at least have some tact, man." Antonio did his best to will the subtle blush from his cheeks, his gaze beginning to wander. He was being drawn back towards the mysterious young man, but just barely managed to restrain himself and halt his vision at the edge of the building.

"It's not that, necessarily. He's just..." Without entirely realizing it, his expression had melted into a goofy smile and he felt a happy, bubbling sensation in the pit of his stomach. "He's so cuuuute..! You can't look at that face and tell me he doesn't look adorable!"

"You realize ten seconds ago you wanted to beat the shit out of him for manhandling that kid."

"That was ten seconds ago, this is now! You shouldn't live in the past, _mi amigo_." Gilbert just rolled his eyes and sighed, exchanging a glance with Gilbird, who squeaked and shook it's head hopelessly in return.

"Ah, look at that! He just gave Peter money, even though he tried to steal from him! That's so sweet, can you believe it? And look at that little smile of his. Oh, I just want to go down there and give him a hug." Antonio had evidently given into that guilty pleasure and was now shamelessly enthralled in the scene, while Gilbert just decided it was easier to sit and casually observe as he continued his meal, letting his more passionate friend get the gushing out of his system.

However, while Antonio was focused solely on the still unnamed object of his affections, Gilbird apparently spotted something more interesting and lightly tugged at his master's shirt to alert him. Never one to ignore his sweet chick's pleas for attention, the bird's namesake reached up and gently cupped his hand around the critter, allowing Gilbird to sit in his palm while he addressed him.

"What's up, buddy? Something bugging you?" The creature hopped in a circle to turn itself in another direction, flapping it's wings and chirping loudly. The two communicated with their own special code, and this particular gesture could be loosely translated into, _Potentially unawesome activity over this way!_

Gilbert followed the bird's line of vision, and within moments had spotted the source of it's concern.

"Oh boy. Antonio, check that out." He reached over and nudged Antonio's shoulder to try and steal his attention back. When that didn't work, he opted to just grab the young man's chin and forcefully turn his head in the right direction. On the side of the street just opposite the mystery boy, a dark-haired trio was loitering about in the entrance of a shady alleyway. They weren't an uncommon sight around these parts. A notorious gang of (somewhat bumbling) thieves under the leadership of Yao Wang who, despite looking quite young, acted like a cantankerous old man. Antonio and Gilbert had gotten into scuffles with them once or twice before, but they tended to avoid eachother for the most part simply because neither group had anything the other wanted. Though the intense look in Yao's eyes, locked squarely on the stranger, told them he'd most definitely found something of interest.

"Looks like Yao and them have their sights set on your boyfriend." Antonio would have objected to the last part of the statement, but was too preoccupied with being worried for that adorable boy's safety.

"_Si._ This could be problematic-"

"_Let's try here! We haven't checked down this street yet!_"

All eyes were then drawn to the pair of guards quickly making their way down the street. They were instantly recognized as a very tense-looking Ludwig and Kiku. Yao's group pulled themselves further into the shadows to make themselves discreet, and the duo on the rooftop flattened themselves to avoid detection. Antonio was almost certain the pair must be looking for him until his eyes caught the panicky stranger retreating into a nearby alley. Suspicions successfully raised, he touched Gilbert's shoulder and spoke in a low voice.

"That boy. I think he's hiding from the guards. Do you think he's the one they've been looking for this whole time?"

"Tch, it would figure you'd crush on a dangerous criminal. I'll bet he really is an assassin."

"No, he doesn't really seem coordinated enough to be an assassin...a-and I didn't say I had a crush on him you know-!"

"Shh! Duck!" Gilbert pushed the other man's head down just as Ludwig and Kiku passed by their building, though luckily their eyes never seemed to wander overhead. When they passed by without incident, the pair relaxed again, quietly watching. A kind of suspense hung in the air when Kiku suddenly paused in front of the alley the mystery boy had taken refuge in, and Antonio found himself on the edge of his figurative seat, holding his breath. After several seconds, Ludwig's voice rang out again, beckoning Kiku away, and the tanned man breathed a sigh of relief.

"Why are you acting all relieved? He's a dangerous criminal, quit fawning over him like some schoolgirl!"

"You don't know that for sure!" Antonio protested with a childish frown, "Maybe he's just a lovable delinquent like us that's gotten into some trouble." Gilbert just groaned and rolled his eyes, holding his face in exasperation.

"Antonio, what am I going to do with you - ah! Looks like Yao and them are on the move." The albino man caught sight of the trio slinking out of the shadows, waiting until the guards had disappeared around the corner before quickly dashing across the street and entering the stranger's alley.

"Ah, _eso no es bueno_." Antonio turned his head to catch Gilbert's gaze, his own expressioning hardening slightly with seriousness. "He could be in trouble if we leave him alone with them." Gilbert merely smirked, knowing exactly where this was going. He grunted softly, pushing himself up to his feet and picking up the remains of the breakfast he knew he wasn't going to get to finish.

"Well, I guess we have no choice, then. Let's go be badass superheroes."

* * *

><p>"Mysterious...assassin...guy? What?"<p>

Gilbert personally felt like their dramatic entrance, along with the epic poses they held just long enough to make an effective impression, warranted a little more than the bizarre stares they got from the four men at the back of the alleyway. Though he supposed they had just been dumbstruck by the sheer combined awesomeness of Antonio and himself. Which was reasonable.

Yao pushed himself up from the ground, sputtering and cursing in a harsh-sounding foreign language while he tried to dust himself off. He turned to glare at the pair who dared to intrude upon their business, growling lowly under his breath.

"You two! What do you think you're doing, aru? This isn't any of your concern, so get out of here, aru!" Antonio shook his head, a dangerous, almost deadly air emanating from the man in spite of his misleadingly cheerful smile. He dropped his pose in favor of taking a more imposing stance, cracking his knuckles loudly.

"_Lo siento_, guys. But you know we can't rightly let you threaten innocent civilians like that. Especially ones that are so cute! You should leave him alone and please give back his money. I don't like getting into confrontations if I can avoid it."

"But the awesome me is just fine with confrontation, so if you'd rather do things that way, be our guest!"

"Hmph." Yao smiled slyly, confidently, straightening himself once again and resuming that in-control demeanor. "It seems you've forgotten our last encounter, aru. If I recall correctly, you just barely escaped with a broken arm, didn't you Gilbert?"

"It wasn't broken! And that was a cheap shot, it totally doesn't count!" The ponytailed man shook his head with a chuckle, beginning to shift his footing and take an offensive stance.

"Is that how you see it, aru? Well, I suppose some people never learn. Allow us to attempt to drill this lesson into your skulls one more time, aru. Jia Long, keep an eye on the drifter boy. Yong Soo, with me aru!" Yong Soo, who was still spitting small chunks of melon out of his mouth, looked up with a grin and was more than thrilled to take his place beside the older man, taking his own stance (which looked slightly more silly with those long sleeves dangling over his arms).

"Gotcha, _Aniki_! You can count on me!"

Likewise, Jia Long took his place in front of their victim, though far more silently. Lovino attempted to push himself up again, but was suddenly met with a sharp look from his guard and quickly sank back down. These guys seemed pretty confident, they could probably take care of themselves.

He missed the first move. He'd blinked and suddenly the four were caught up in a blur of flailing limbs and dust clouds. It was a little difficult to keep track of them when they moved so fast and expertly, like they'd been brawling on the streets their entire lives (they most likely had been, he realized a little morbidly). Yao and Yong Soo were all flips and fancy footwork, and the young prince could almost admire their skill and precision. It was like watching an intricate dance. In contrast, the new-comers weren't nearly so graceful. Barely dodging one attack after another, throwing themselves at their opponents and using dirty, sneaky tactics. Yet for all their barbarian qualities, the pair worked flawlessly as a team, each constantly aware of the other's location and exchanging strategy through mere wordless glances.

Receiving a swift kick to the chest, Antonio flew backwards, ramming into the wall hard enough to knock the wind out of him for a moment. He rubbed the back of his skull with a soft wince, thankful that his thick-headedness was for once a positive attribute. In the meantime, Gilbert was preoccupied with fighting off Yong Soo, who had (thanks to some slick moves and a brief distraction from Antonio) gotten his oversized sleeves tied up, making blocking significantly more difficult. The albino was quickly gaining the edge, and Yong Soo was backed into a corner before he realized it. He barely managed to evade another attack by buckling his knees and dropping down, making a move to sweep Gilbert's own feet out from under him. The red-eyed man succesfully dodged, but a third figure took advantage of his distracted state and grabbed him from behind, swinging him around until he crashed into the ground. By the time his back hit the dirt, Gilbert's vision was spinning, dizzy from the motion. When he refocused, Yao's form towered over him with a broad smirk, his foot pressing heavily against the downed man's neck.

"You're getting to be a real pain, aru. Maybe it'd be best if we ended this here and now." He pushed down harder, the pressure causing Gilbert to gag and claw at the man's ankle, unable to breathe. He could see the sick pleasure that glittered in Yao's eyes at the sight of his struggle, so he hardened his own expression and made an effort to deny the man any show of panic or pain. He was never truly worried, though. Not as long as his backup was there.

In a flash, Yao was tackled from the side and hit the ground, pinned under the weight of a tan-skinned lummox. He struggled and threw out a slew of curses that Antonio was sure would have made him blush if he understood them, eventually knocking him off again. Antonio stumbled back and, while holding his bruised chest, reached down to help a still choking Gilbert up to his feet. The duo stood side-by-side seconds later, a little worse-for-wear but still confident and ready to fight. Yao clicked his tongue at their arrogance, beginning to push himself up as well.

"I'm really starting to become fed up with you two, aru- "

_Crack._

"_AIYAAAA!_" There was a collective cringe as everyone watched the ponytailed man collapse to the ground, stiffly rolling himself onto his stomach and stretching his arms to clutch at his back. Another string of foreign curses, these ones much more fiery and his voice tinged with restrained agony. Immediately, Yong Soo hopped up to his feet, rushing to the man's side.

"Uh-oh! Sounds like the old man threw his back out again!"

"I AM NOT AN OLD MAN, ARU! MY BONES ARE JUST STIFF FROM MY POOR SLEEP LATELY, ARU!"

"Sure sure, whatever you say old-timer." After a bit of complicated fiddling with his sleeves and a creative use of his teeth, the younger man was able to unbind his arms and positioned himself at Yao's head, slipping his hands under the man's arms and gingerly beginning to pick him up. Jia Long didn't need to be called, appearing at Yao's feet in an instant. He took the leader's legs, and together the minions/brothers/whatever they called themselves hoisted Yao up into the air with practiced skill.

The man himself groaned, still quite in pain, plus the added humiliation of being seen this way in front of his enemies. Not one to give up his pride so easily, Yao hissed and glared furiously at Antonio and Gilbert, shaking his fist at the pair as he was carted away like a sack of potatoes.

"This isn't the end, aru..! You may call this a draw, but we shall be back soon enough to claim a full victory! And next time you won't be so lucky as to escape your fate, aru!"

A few more choice swears bounced off the walls as Yao's voice quickly faded into obscurity, then disappeared altogether. Antonio and Gilbert exchanged glances. A second later and they had burst into laughter, patting eachother on the back for a job well done and revelling in the hilarity of Yao's face when he left.

"Aw man, did you see the way he was trying not to _cry_? So awesome, that timing was the best too!"

"It's a little funny and a little sad that so many of our meetings end like that, _si_? Maybe Yao should consider seeing a doctor about that back problem."

"Oh it's just because he's secretly a wrinkly old man with a good complexion! Though not as awesome as mine, of course. When I'm as old as him, I bet I'll look even sexier than I do now."

"If he really is an old man, then why do you keep getting your ass handed to you by him, _mi amigo_?"

As the duo laughed and teased one another, Lovino sat at the back of the alley, seemingly forgotten. He could only stare in fascination for several seconds, not entirely sure what he'd just witnessed. He had to wonder if this was a common occurance in the streets of Agrabah. Of course, he knew that there was crime and the occational clash between bands of thieves, but his visions had evidently been somewhat...romanticized. Not to mention, in his fantasies, he was always the dashing badass hero who fought off a whole horde of bad guys that were trying to rough up some innocent (preferably pretty) civilian.

And who exactly passed the law requiring all these street urchins to look so bizarrely attractive despite living in filth?

Wait a minute, what?

The prince shook himself out of his daze and quickly began to get up, trying to calculate the best way to sneak away without being noticed. Just because they had saved him didn't mean that they couldn't have ulterior motives. Right as he was beginning to slink into the shadows, however, a chirping sound reached his ears and suddenly he found himself assaulted by a yellow ball of fluff. With a yelp, the young man stumbled back, swiping fruitlessly at the air to try and shoo the creature away. It fluttered about wildly until Lovino had finally slipped off his feet again, collapsing to the ground with a thud.

At last the creature settled down, nesting itself quite comfortably ontop of the boy's head. Meanwhile, two shadows had fallen over him, drawing his eyes upward to the men gazing back down at him with curious but not at all intimidating expressions.

"Hey, Gilbird! Not awesome, I told you to stay put in your hiding place until I said it was safe to come out!" Lovino flinched slightly, thinking for a moment the albino was speaking to him. However, there was a peeping sound from overhead and the small yellow bird lifted itself off of Lovino's head and fluttered towards Gilbert, landing safely in his outstretched palm like a trained pet.

Well now he was just beyond confused.

"_Está bien, muchacho?_" A soft, warm voice drew the runaway's attention away from the paler man to his companion, who had leaned down to offer him a hand and a friendly smile. Their eyes locked and Lovino found it unusually difficult to tear his gaze away from those deep green pools. The stunned silence left Antonio puzzled, so he translated his question and repeated it more slowly, thinking perhaps the boy didn't understand. "Are you alright, young man?"

At last the prince snapped back to life, quickly pushing himself up and dusting his robes off with an indignant grunt.

"I'm perfectly fine. And I had that situation under control, you know! I was just about to make my move and take all of those guys down when you two showed up." The boy huffed and readjusted his hood, making sure his curl was well hidden. Antonio frowned momentarily in disappointment, but that was swiftly replaced with his trademark grin.

"Yes, that certainly seemed like the case. I could tell by the way you looked like you were about to scream."

"What did you say, bastard?" Lovino flushed with humiliation and shame, compensating with a dagger-filled glare. To think anybody saw him at such a weak point was a serious blow to his manly pride. Something seemed to strike Antonio just then, because the man went quiet, just staring at the younger male. And then some bizarre squealing noise broke the silence.

"Your faaaaace! So red!" Antonio stepped forward and, oblivious to Lovino's clear discomfort at the closeness, pinched the boy's cheeks. "You look just like a tomato~!" Lovino sputtered in confusion, his entire face heating up significantly at the touch. No one outside an extremely short list of palace staff had ever been allowed to touch him.

"T-Tomato..? What the fu- "

"Ah ah ah! Please, _mi tomate_, watch your language. Such vulgar words shouldn't pass through those adorable lips~"

"Wha- G-Get off me you creepy tomato-obsessed bastard!" Lovino shoved him away roughly, dusting his sleeves off as though he were shooing off Antonio's cooties. "Shit, why is everybody in this city so weird?"

"Hey hey, you oughta be a little more grateful, you know!" Gilbert interjected, pointing dramatically at the disguised royal. "We wasted our breakfast saving your sorry ass! The least you could do is say thanks. Ingratitude is so unawesome!"

Lovino twitched slightly, folding his arms and turning his head away with a harumph.

"Oh big deal. It's almost lunch time anyway, just get something else to eat." Gilbert wasn't sure if he wanted to laugh or punch the kid in the mouth. He opted for the less violent choice. For now.

"Are you serious_?_ You really must not be from around here. We don't _get_ lunch. Even with all my awesome survival skills, we're lucky to get dinner half the time!" While the red-eyed man ranted, his friend set a hand on his shoulder to calm him, a sympathetic look etched on his features.

"Come on now, Gil, don't be too harsh with him. He's just a boy, _si_?"

"Well it's true! You didn't even get to eat anything, right? Spent all your time oggling him- "

"A-Ah ah ah - please don't scream that right in front of him..! And it wasn't oggling!" Listening to the back and forth, Lovino found that accursed guilt rolling around in the pit of his stomach again. The same force that had assaulted him when he was dealing with that pickpocket (and had inadvertantly gotten him mugged). But try as he might, once that pitiful feeling set in, Lovino simply could not ignore it. A side effect of living with Feliciano, he was sure. The fugitive sighed in resignation, dropping his arms to his sides and calling out to the pair.

"Alright, alright! If you two will stop bitching at eachother for ten minutes, I'll pay you back for the rescue. Even though I didn't really need it." This effectively captured their attention, the companions turning to look back at Lovino with wide, hopeful eyes. Repayment. Gilbert could practically see the glitter of gold and silver pieces already. Antonio's mind, however, had drifted off into a garden full of plump, ripe tomatoes.

"Aha, now that's more like it! Finally, some appreciation!" Gilbert flashed an enthusiastic grin, leaning in closer and rubbing his hands together, watching the younger man expectantly. Just waiting for him to pull out something valuable. "Well? What is it, then? Come on, we saw what you gave Peter, we deserve at least twice that for saving your life, right?" Lovino, in turn, glared unamusedly and inched further back.

"Actually, I can't really give you money or anything. I got mugged, remember? That ponytailed bastard stole my coin purse." Immediately Gilbert's expression fell into one of despair and he clapped his hands over his eyes, tilting his head back and groaning in frustration.

"Gaaah, that rotten oriental bastard! We finally get ourselves a meal ticket and he and his goons ruin it!"

"The fuck do you mean _meal ticket_?"

"Oh! _Espera un momento_!" The sudden burst of Spanish drew Gilbert and Lovino's attention to the third man in their little exchange. Antonio dug into the pocket of his pants, pulling out the familiar pouch and offering it to the prince with a smile. "I managed to swipe it off of Yao while we were fighting. I think everything should still be in there."

"Ah...er...thanks." Lovino carefully took his bag back. When his fingers clumsily brushed against Antonio's, he felt a brief surge of electricity shoot through his veins and quickly recoiled. Antonio might have felt it too, because he seemed momentarily surprised by something. Then went right back to smiling like an oblivious idiot.

"What? You goody-goody dumbass! If you had the purse all along you should have just kept it!" Gilbert repremanded, jerking his friend out of his daze by pinching the side of his face rather hard. Antonio winced at the unexpected pain, shoving the albino back gently and rubbing his cheek with a pout.

"I told you, we don't steal what we don't need!"

"WE NEED MONEY ALL THE TIME, TONIO. ALL THE TIME."

"But come on, Gil! Look at that face. We can't steal from somebody that cute!"

"Argh! Tonioooo! Your unawesomeness fills me with such homicidal raaaage!"

In spite of the awkwardness and the seriously creepy vibe he was getting from the two strangers, Lovino found himself trying to stifle a small chuckle of amusement. He observed the back and forth with a small smile, an odd sense of attachment beginning to root itself into his subconscious. Childish and idiotic as these commoners may be, they were certainly interesting. The younger man tucked his savings away for safe keeping, interrupting the conversation by loudly clearing his throat.

"Hey hey, what did I say about bitching? Shut up already!" The pair looked towards him again, Gilbert thoroughly disgruntled at this point, and Lovino couldn't help but smirk slightly. "I said I would repay you, didn't I?" The hooded man reminded just a little bit haughtily, "So I will. I'm a man of my word, afterall. Now then, where's the best tavern in town?"

* * *

><p>The current state of the palace was nothing short of absolute chaos. From the moment Elizaveta had alerted the Sultan to his brother's letter, the guards had been running about the grounds in a so far futile search. Nobody had seen him leave, nor heard any suspicious sounds during the night. The only reassurance they had that this was a legitimate run away and not a disguised kidnapping was that nobody could immitate Lovino's unique brand of begrudging affection quite that accurately.<p>

Eventually, it was determined that this was in fact not some kind of sick prank, and that the prince was nowhere inside the palace walls. Thus, the search was extended into the city itself, hoping Lovino would prove just inept enough to get stuck there instead of trekking further into the desert. The very idea that the prince was outside the protected sanctuary of their home at all was enough to throw Feliciano into near hysterics. Consequenty, after Ludwig took his men out into the streets, the young ruler spent the better part of the afternoon pacing around the throne room and wondering to himself if he should start manufacturing some white flags just in case.

"You'll wear a hole in the floor that way, your majesty." The voice of his trusted advisor called Feliciano back to reality, causing the young man to stop in his tracks and look to Arthur hopefully.

"S-Sorry, ve. I can't help it. Have you heard any news on _fratello_?" The blonde man shook his head in denial, and Feliciano's face fell into a disheartened frown. It really didn't suite the painfully cheerful boy at all, and a small part of Arthur felt a little bad for him. Only a little, though.

"Unfortuanetly not. It seems that your brother is quite the elusive chap." Arthur grunted under his breath, fingering the lion's head on his staff with disinterest. "Who would have guessed..." In truth, the Vizier was rather fed up with this whole fiasco. After finally securing the Sultan's mystical necklace, he'd spent the night trying to properly set up that infernal contraption he had stashed away in one of the many secret chambers scattered throughout the palace. By the time he'd finally gotten everything in working order, this mess started up and since then he'd been completely preoccupied. This was seriously cutting into his scheming time.

"I see..." Feliciano sighed, a lead weight settling in his stomach and a fresh wave of anxiety washing over him. "I suppose _fratello_ always has been good at not being found when he doesn't want to be, ve..." He paused to stare off thoughtfully, reaching a hand up to instinctively clutch at the necklace his grandfather had given him. He started slightly when he didn't feel it, then recalled that he hadn't been able to find it that morning, either. He must have misplaced it somewhere, though that was especially odd since he never took it off. The only reason he wasn't scouring the area for his precious heirloom at the moment was because of Lovino's disappearance.

"Hey...Arthur...I know this is kind of a bad time and all, but have you seen my amber necklace anywhere ve? I think I lost it the other night." Arthur flinched, discreetly touching the pocket that held the piece of jewelry. Biting back his nerves - there was no way Feliciano actually remembered their conversation - the blonde man shook his head once again.

"My apologies, your majesty, but I haven't. Perhaps you left it in the baths?" Feliciano sighed once more in disappointment, tugging off his Sultan's hat and running a hand through his auburn locks.

"Maybe. I did take a bath after dinner last night. I could go check there later, ve."

"Yes, well, good luck with that." Arthur turned rather abruptly, starting away before he could be recruited into another search party. How unbareably pointless it would be, looking for the object he was already carrying around. "I'm afraid I must go attend to some important matters. The duties of a government don't suddenly halt themselves because of family crisis, you know."

"Oh..right. Of course." Even if the Sultan couldn't quite detect the annoyance in those words, it did strike enough of a chord to elicit a spark of guilt. He was so caught up in worrying over his brother he'd completely neglected his responsibilities. He'd been advized to let his staff handle those matters today, since Feliciano was generally pretty useless when he was upset, but he really did hate feeling like such a burden. "Ve~ Is there anything I can help with, Arthur? Maybe I could come with you and- "

"No, no!" Arthur jerked around, waving with wild dismissal at the younger man. "It's quite alright, I assure you. Just stay here, wait for news and leave everything to us, my dear Sultan."

"Ah, but- "

"Just go make some pasta or something, it's quite alright!" Before the ditzy ruler could protest further, his Vizier had hurried out of the room. The heavy mahogany doors closed behind him with an echo that bounced off the walls, emphasizing just how spacious and empty the throne room truly was. Feliciano frowned, making a small, hopeless noise as his gaze dropped to the floor. He wrung his hat in his hands, not caring at all how the movement ruffled the large decorative feather.

"V-Ve...but...I just want to help..." Emotionally strained to an extent he hadn't felt since his grandfather's death, Feliciano trudged back to his throne, plopping himself heavily down onto the fluffy cushion and drawing his knees up to his chest. He rested the headpiece ontop of his knees, staring blankly into the shining crimson jewel that adorned it. This piece of clothing was the symbol of the Sultan. The signifier of the man in charge of ruling the whole kingdom.

It was really only appropriate that it was still a little too big for him.

"Grandpa...what am I supposed to do?" His voice was soft, near a whisper. He spoke with reverence and desperation, like a prayer to God when there was nothing else to lean on. "I'm never any good when bad things happen, ve... I always have to depend on Ludwig or Arthur or you... I can't even keep _Fratello_ happy." A gentle breeze wafted into the room, stirring auburn bangs and drawing his gaze towards the open balcony and the bright expanse of azure sky.

Feliciano had never really longed for freedom or a change in lifestyle. He had his friends and family, and that was always more than enough for him. He couldn't understand the need to break away that Lovino evidently harbored, but he did know what it was like to feel out of place. Nobody took him seriously as a ruler, not even his own staff. He didn't miss the way his Vizier would roll his eyes at his silly ramblings (poor Arthur had to put up with so much, he really hated upsetting him), and more than once somebody had conveniently forgotten to inform him of an important meeting just so that they could get something productive done.

He really wasn't anything like his grandfather afterall, was he?

Between himself and Lovino, it was really a miracle that the palace was still functioning.

Feliciano exhaled, shaking the negative thoughts out of his consciousness. He couldn't allow himself to get caught up in self pity right now. His lips set in a firm line and he nodded to himself, eyes alight with the embers of a fiery determination that was steadily building inside.

Action.

His brother had figured out that no progress was made without somebody taking action. And if Feliciano wanted things to change, he was going to have to do the same. Pushing himself up out of his seat, the brunette pulled his turban on and puffed up his chest, setting his hands on his hips.

"Right! Grandpa, I know what to do, ve~!" he declared, "We'll find _fratello_ and then I'm going to act strong and brave like you! I'll study and read up on politics really really hard and get so smart that I'll know how to run the whole wide world!" He spread his arms out across the air, lips breaking out into a large, confident smile. He was already getting so excited over the prospect. He couldn't wait to tell Ludwig!

"Also, I'm going to help _fratello_ to feel better, ve~!" He nodded to himself. He had to make that a priority. His brother was tempermental, antisocial, and couldn't go three seconds without insulting someone, but he was a good guy who deserved to be happy. "I'll find somebody he can really love and then he won't be so lonely anymore. We'll get along again and BE THE BEST SULTANS EVER!"

His ambitious fire fully blazing, the energetic royal hopped down the couple of steps that led up to his throne and darted across the long ruby carpet, to the other end of the room. It occured to him, somewhere in the back of his mind, that he felt more at ease despite not having his precious heirloom. It instilled some pride, knowing he wasn't as dependant on the necklace as he thought he was. Maybe still a little too reliant on his dead relative, but that was another matter. He threw open the large doors with minimal effort, strutting out into the hallway with purpose. The doors closed again with an echoing _bam_, leaving behind only an empty throne room and a soft gust of wind that rustled the drapery.

* * *

><p><em>And so our two starcrossed lovers finally meet. Gotta admit, I got to this part of the story and realized "Oh God, I don't know how to write romance what am I doing". So uhm...best shot at their first encounter, I guess? It's a little more difficult than I expected to act like they haven't known eachother their wholes lives.<em>

_Also. Fight scenes. Yikes. Yeah, sorry about that._

_I REAAALLLYYY hope I pulled off Yao and the gang okay here. Peter I'm not too worried about, but I was hesitant to make China, S. Korea and Hong Kong the street thugs. I struggled trying to figure out who would be a good choice to rough up poor little Lovi and introduce him to the unsafe side of the streets, and in the end China's little gang just seemed like a perfect fit for a more light-hearted confrontation. Also, using "Jia Long" for Hong Kong in this fic. Since he doesn't have an OFFICIAL name and I've seen it used before in the fandom (plus Kaoru seems a little too Japanese for him) I went with that._

_Aah, I'm worried that Feliciano's transition from depressed to confident is a little rushed at the end, but really that scene was more to help us transition into a time skip. Also, establish Feli's little side story about his struggle to become a more competant ruler. Er..at least that's what I hope people got from it._

_Anyways, your guys' thoughts on the Antonio-Lovino interaction so far? Doing alright or is the pacing just all wrong? Any comments would be appreciated~!_

_Oh, one last thing before I go. It's probably tacky to make art for your own story, but I couldn't resist: (hetaladdin .tumblr post /275487 62766/ cover-art-for-antonio-and-the-fabulous-genie-of) (You'll have to add a "dot com slash" between "tumblr" and "post" until I can figure out how to do this link thing... Really sorry!)_

_Til next time. Stay beautiful, readers~_


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